What The Fates Decree
by 4Bluetiger
Summary: AU Trip never joined Starfleet. T'Pol is a highly regarded Vulcan professor. Fate brings Trip and T'Pol together with the crew of Enterprise in a totally different way. Rated M for Pon Farr, Swearing, and Sexual Situations.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: Pon Farr, Swearing, Violence, Sexual Situations

Summary: AU, Trip never joined Starfleet. T'Pol is a highly regarded Vulcan professor. Fate brings Trip and T'Pol together with the crew of Enterprise in a totally different way.

Charles Tucker the Third walked toward the test lab. He wanted to make sure that all the new equipment had been delivered to _Enterprise_ before he started his day. He stopped for a moment to admire the panoramic view of the city from the window. Tucker Industries was a massive state-of-the-art facility and Trip had insisted that it also be an architecturally beautiful building. It housed his corporate headquarters, R&D, and production facilities. Trip took great care that it would not be an eyesore to the San Francisco skyline.

He was very satisfied with the direction his life had taken. Trip had achieved more in his first thirty-five years than he could ever have imagined when he graduated from college. He had creative control over his destiny which gave him the ability to see the things he had dreamed of come to fruition.

Trip turned from the window and resumed walking. Almost immediately, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Trip's assistant Della Reynolds came bustling up to him. She began walking beside him through the halls, bombarding him with information from the padd in her hands.

Della was a very attractive fifty-two year-old, red-haired bundle of energy and organization. She had been with Trip for eight years and he would be lost without her. Trip was a very competent businessman, but the instant that Della came into his life everything seemed easier. Nothing was ever misplaced or lost, meetings were scheduled and Trip always arrived on time. He was still unsure how this happened but didn't want to jinx it by asking. Trip sometimes swore that she could make schematics and contracts appear out of thin air when he requested them.

"Mr. Tucker, your meeting with the Vulcans is at 9:30, you have lunch with Admiral Forrest downtown at 12:00, Mr. Kov confirmed he would meet you at the health club at 3:30 and the shuttle taking you to _Enterprise_ leaves at 7:00."

Trip stopped dead in his tracks. "Della, when do you breathe?"

She gave her boss a dazzling smile, "When you're off planet."

Trip burst into laughter. "I don't know how I would function without you. Does your husband know what a lucky man he is?"

"Of course he does, I remind him every day. Now hurry up, you don't want to keep the Vulcans waiting." As Della turned, walking back in the direction the two had just come from, she called over her shoulder. "And Trip, this time, don't forget to take your luggage to the shuttle. I'd hate to think of you roaming the corridors of _Enterprise_ in your underwear."

Grinning, Trip threw her a wave. Della smiled back at her handsome employer and thought, not for the first time, _that man needs to find a good woman_.

* * *

Tucker Industries was at the forefront of Earth's Warp engine development and production. Trip had made the decision early on in his life that joining Starfleet would stifle his creativity. One fateful encounter with a pompous guest lecturer at his university had sealed his fate. Commander Thorpe gave the impression that he was slumming by addressing a second year Warp Theory class. He dismissed Trip's questions as beneath him. Trip later came to realize that the man probably knew less about warp mechanics than he did. He did wonder occasionally, if a decent engineer had come that day, would he have been tempted by Starfleet?

His ambition and drive to create led him to decide that being his own boss was the way to go. While still in the midst of finishing his multiple degrees, Trip set up his company and quickly attracted the attention of Starfleet. Although he was courted, to the point of begging, Trip refused to join Starfleet. He had a vision that would not be confined by other's rules. With the initial capital, loaned to him by his parents and grandmother, he set up a modest company that soon attracted the best and brightest. Tucker Industries began to create innovations in Warp theory and design that far exceeded what Starfleet engineers could produce. It wasn't that Starfleet didn't use every enticement at their disposal, but Trip was determined to be the master of his own fate.

With the writing clearly on the wall, the powers that be at Starfleet quickly aligned themselves with Charles Tucker. Space hardware, produced in the private sector, was not a new idea and Starfleet made haste to seal a deal with Tucker Industries. Over the course of many years, Trip saw his innovations worked into the design of a magnificent starship. At the ceremony for the laying of the keel for _Enterprise_, Trip felt as if he was present at the birth of his first child.

Through close contact and years of working together, Trip became friends with many officers and engineers. However, his best friend was Jonathan Archer, captain of the _Enterprise_. After its launch, Trip traveled on _Enterprise_ extensively in his capacity of civilian consultant.

* * *

Trip had settled into guest quarters aboard _Enterprise_. As he ambled down the corridor heading for the captain's mess, Trip greeted many a familiar face. Tucker spent so much time in the engine room of this great ship that he knew the names of chief engineer Anna Hess' entire staff. Truth to tell, Trip was fairly certain that he knew the names of all eighty-three crewmembers.

Jonathan Archer looked up at the new arrival. "Trip, I'm surprised you're on time for dinner. We usually have to pry you out of engineering after you add a new upgrade."

With a huge grin on his face, Trip winked at Erika Hernandez, first officer of _Enterprise_. "Now, I don't mind keeping _you_ waiting, Jon, but my grandmother taught me better than to keep a lovely lady waiting."

Erika smiled and gave a little chuckle as Trip grabbed her hand and gave it a quick kiss.

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Erika, I hope you realize that Trip Tucker is without a doubt the biggest flirt you will ever encounter. The problem is, his smooth southern charm, good looks, and wealth work for him almost every time."

The two friends had shared many a night on the town in San Francisco. Jon had no problem attracting women, but the flurry of beautiful women that always flocked to Trip, boggled his mind. Besides, Trip was well aware that Jon and Erika had been in love before Jon was promoted to captain. He was also one of the few people that knew they still carried on a very discreet affair.

Trip released the first officer's hand. "Why are all the most beautiful and intelligent women taken?"

Jon heaved a dramatic sigh. "Must you put the moves on every woman on my ship?"

A smiling Erika held out her glass allowing Archer to pour her wine. "Not to worry Captain. There isn't a woman on board that doesn't know Mr. Tucker here, plays, but never gives his heart."

Trip's mouth dropped open in mock offence. "Hey, I have nothing against commitment. I just haven't met the right one yet."

Jon handed Trip a glass of wine. "I hope that when you do, it knocks you on your ass and she plays really hard to get. It's way past time that you had to do the chasing."

Trip saluted Jon with his glass.

Erika laughed, "I'm not sure I should allow either of you to take shore leave when we reach Risa. Jon's told me some wicked stories about you two on the prowl."

The warmth of Jon's smile made Erika's heart tingle. He briefly brushed her hand. "That's all in the past for me."

"Well, if you both promise to behave I guess I'll allow it. After all Trip needs to have as much fun as possible. I can't imagine how you, of all people, could bear living on Vulcan. They aren't exactly party animals."

"Now Erika, you know when I'm working on something new, I am very single minded. It's all I can do to remember to eat. Partying will be the last thing on my mind."

Jon tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his smile behind his glass. "So Trip, how long will you be staying on Vulcan?"

"Hmm, I don't have a set schedule yet, but I expect it to be at least a year. First I need to meet the Vulcan team and get them working smoothly with the Human engineers. I worked very hard to get this project accepted by both sides. I'm not going to leave before I'm sure things are running as slick as glass."

"Do you really think getting Humans and Vulcans working together will be that easy? Due to my personal experiences, this seems unlikely." Jon said with a weary shrug.

"Aw Jon, you're used to dealing with diplomats. Engineers are a special breed, No matter the species, when we get caught up in the creation of new technologies that posturing goes by the wayside. I intend for this project to spawn the most powerful Warp engines Humans or Vulcans have ever built, a hybrid that will make everyone sit up and take notice."

Erika leaned in to pick a strawberry from the fruit tray. "What about your company, Trip? Can you afford to leave it alone that long?"

Trip dropped his head and laughed. "Are you kidding me? You know Della, she could run Tucker Industries with her eyes closed. In fact, I'm lucky she lets me keep my name on the building."

* * *

Tucker walked out onto the balcony of his villa on Risa. Leaning on the railing, he stared at the pristine beach, then stretched and smiled in anticipation of doing some diving today. The breeze gently ruffled his hair as he breathed in the sea air.

_Enterprise_ had pulled into orbit around the pleasure planet Risa, two days ago. Trip was pleased that he was getting to spend some time in a relaxed setting with his friends. He had a week before _Enterprise_ was due to deliver him to Vulcan. Before he jumped into what would probably be an invigorating and possibly stressful project, Trip intended to make the most of this vacation.

Walking down to the docks with his diving gear in hand, Tucker growled under his breath. Blocking his path was a man that Trip was sure did not comprehend the meaning of relaxation.

Commander Malcolm Reed was the bane of Trip's existence when he traveled with _Enterprise_. It wasn't that Trip didn't like Malcolm. He, in fact, thought of the up-tight British security officer as a friend. Today however, he just wanted to take a boat off shore so he could dive the coral reef by himself and relax. Trip was aware that Malcolm didn't like water, but from the appearance of the two security officers standing behind Reed, Trip could see his solitary dive going to hell in a hand basket.

Malcolm Reed was nervous. His assignment should have been simple, protect Charles Tucker the Third. However, the daft bastard kept insisting on going diving. Tucker had his own security on Earth but the Starfleet brass, in their infinite wisdom, insisted that he be assigned to guard the famous industrialist when he traveled with _Enterprise_.

Two of Malcolm's best men would accompany Tucker as diving companions, plus he had a subcutaneous transponder inserted in his forearm. This did little to calm Malcolm's anxiety. The fact remained that Tucker would be out of his sight, which was totally unacceptable.

Trip came to a stop in front of the commander and dropped his diving gear to the deck. "Malcolm, you have got to be kidding me. I just want to go do some diving in peace."

"My men will not interfere with your little jaunt, Trip. If you insist on going diving, get used to it."

Trip continued to argue that two security goons shadowing him were hardly necessary here on Risa, but Malcolm was having none of it and Tucker was forced to board his rented boat followed by Corporals' Hutchens and Gomez. Trip glanced over his shoulder and had to chuckle. He was a relatively tall, well built man but the guards gave him the feeling of being stalked by a couple of gorillas.

Thirty minutes later, Trip was too enthralled with the beautiful coral reef he was exploring to stay angry at Reed. Water was his second home and Trip was feeling the love. The coral reefs of Risa rivaled the beauty of any on Earth. The water was warm and Trip was invigorated by the swim. The colorful coral and variety of marine life lulled Trip into a deep contentment. Reaching out his hand, dozens of tiny fish in lovely blues and yellows swarmed his fingers, checking for a free meal.

Smiling at the show, Trip was barely aware of someone bumping his leg. After a second bump, Trip turned from the fish, the smile leaching from his face.

Through a swirling mass of bubbles, Trip could see Hutchens fighting for his life against two equally burly opponents. He was aware that both his bodyguards were armed with diving knives but Hutchens was unable to get the upper hand against his two attackers.

Pulling his own knife from the holder strapped to his leg, Trip moved forward to help Hutchens. However, before he could reach the combatants, arms encircled him from behind. His chest was compressed sharply, forcing the air from his lungs and causing him to drop his knife. Approaching from the front, a huge diver, of a species Trip did not recognize was waving a large serrated knife in his face. His assailant was wearing a re-breather but no diving mask. Trip could see red scales covering his face and hands.

Struggling to free his arms from the guy behind him, Trip glanced past Big Red, as he had quickly come to think of him. To his horror, he saw Corporal Gomez floating lifeless against the sandy ocean bottom. Blood swirling away from the deep slash across his throat.

Trip's arms were held in an iron grip. The diver in front of him was moving in, flashing his knife. He assumed that he was about to have his throat cut as well, but instead, Big Red grabbed his right wrist and pulled it forward. With a quick flick he sliced into Trip's forearm and gave the knife a twist. Trip was wearing a full facemask so there was nothing in his mouth to stifle his scream. Red continued to dig the knife tip into Trip's flesh until finally the transponder popped out of Trip's arm and floated away in a trail of blood.

Trip felt a hypospray pressed into his neck, then unconsciousness beginning to overtake him. The last sight Trip saw was a knife being plunged into Hutchens' belly. As Trip's limp body was towed away, Hutchens' lifeless form settled on the sea floor next to Gomez.

* * *

Malcolm wasn't sure how he knew, but when the hair on the back of his neck stood up, he was sure something was wrong.

"Reed to Enterprise. Give me a location on Mr. Tucker." Malcolm waited only an instant for the reply.

"Commander, Lt. Sato here. Mr. Tucker's signal is located at the smaller of the two offshore reefs, about two hundred kilometers from your location."

"Hoshi, run a scan and tell me how many human life signs you're picking up near Tucker's location."

The ensuing pause chilled Malcolm for reasons he did not understand.

Hoshi's voice, sounding very puzzled, finally replied. "Commander, there are no life signs other than marine life in the area, including the site of the transponder signal."

Reed clenched his jaw. "Damn it!"

* * *

Trip heard voices. Although they sounded like they were coming from a distance, he could just make out what they were saying.

"He told us to bring both of them or don't bother."

"What are we going to do, she's dying? Should we contact him, Captain Krell?"

"No! We aren't going to bother him until we know for sure."

Moaning, Trip opened his eyes and then quickly shut them again. It was too late for that to help, the vertigo and nausea won out. Trip rolled onto his side and vomited until he thought he would surely die.

"Look at him Captain…after what it did to her, I told you we shouldn't have used the same stuff on him."

"Shut up, we didn't have time to get anything else. That was our one shot to grab Tucker. Give him some water, clean him up, and let him sleep for a while. He will be fine…he has to be."

* * *

Trip rolled over. For the first time in a while, his stomach contents didn't. Sitting up slowly and rubbing his face with the palms of his hands, Trip decided that he would probably live. Opening his eyes, he looked at his surroundings. From the vibrations, Trip knew he was on a ship of some sort and at Warp from the feel of it. The bed he was sitting on was relatively comfortable and the quarters appeared small and austere.

When he was fairly sure he wouldn't fall on his face, Trip stumbled to the bathroom. He didn't have any idea how long it had been since he was kidnapped, but he was still wearing his brightly colored swim trunks and they were dry. Trip rinsed out his mouth and then drank his fill of cool water from the tap. After using the facilities, Trip returned to the bed and sat down. He glanced at the neat white bandage circling his right forearm. _Damn nice of them to bother, after nearly killing me_, he thought. He needed to find out who had him, what their purpose was in taking him, and how he was going to escape.

Trip stood and after testing the door and finding it locked, began to search the room for a comm panel. Suddenly the door swished open and he whirled to face an alien holding a gun.

"Ah, Mr. Tucker, I am pleased to see you recovered."

It was the tall, red-scaled thug that had drugged him. "Well considering the stuff you gave me nearly killed me…fuck you buddy!"

"Language, Mr. Tucker. You are temporarily my guest."

Trip's head snapped up. "I hope you realized that Starfleet probably has a ship on your trail even as we speak"

"Ah yes, no doubt you are referring to _Enterprise_. Captain Archer and I have crossed paths before. One of my endeavors did not work out as planned. I ended up on a shuttle bound for Canamar prison. Your Captain Archer and Commander Reed were aboard and thwarted a plan to kill the prisoners. I managed to escape custody in the confusion after we were transferred off of _Enterprise_."

"If you know of Jonathan Archer, then you know how tenacious he is. If you want to survive with your scaly hide intact, you better let me go."

"He is indeed resourceful…a force to be reckoned with, but fortunately, we are very far away from his ship."

"What is it you want…money? I'm sure I can better any amount you have been promised."

Red motioned with the gun for Trip to precede him out the door. "Of course I want money, but there is more to it than that, Mr. Tucker. Now, if you can manage to survive the next few minutes, I will be closer to receiving that money."

"Aren't you going to at least give me some clothes and shoes?"

With a smile that reminded Trip of a snake, Red replied, "You won't need them."

Trip felt slightly ridiculous plodding through the ship barefoot, but realized wardrobe was the least of his problems.

They stopped in front of a door. It was guarded by two armed thugs. Trip got close and glanced in the small eye-level window in the door. It appeared to be quarters similar to the ones he had occupied, but more heavily reinforced. Perhaps a brig of some sort as the window in the door implied.

There was one occupant. Sitting on the floor, huddled in the far corner, was a woman. Her head was bowed and long hair obscured her face.

"Who is that?"

"Who she is does not matter at the moment. What she is seems to be the problem."

Trip ground his teeth. He was getting tired of all this cryptic bullshit. "Okay, what is she?" he spat.

"She is a Vulcan female in the throes of blood fever. Unfortunately, the drug we used on the two of you sent her into an artificial fever."

Shaking his head, Trip said under his breath, "pon farr."

Eyes widening, his captor asked, "You have heard of this, Human?"

"Yeah, I know what it is. I also know she'll die if she doesn't mate soon."

"We were informed of this as well. One of my soldiers volunteered to go in there and…_assist_ her."

Trip's brows drew together. "He didn't hurt her did he?" Trip growled.

"Hardly…she killed him, and also the Andorian slave that we threw in there with her. She put her fingers on the side of their faces for a moment, snarled and then quickly snapped their necks."

Trip felt a surprising amount of concern for this woman. "Isn't there anything you can do for her, to ease her pain, drugs maybe?"

"We have one last option, Mr. Tucker…you."

Backing up a little, Trip gave a nervous chuckle. "Wait a minute, you go to all the trouble of kidnapping me and then decide to throw me in a cell with a crazy woman that will probably kill me?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Tucker, but the deal we brokered was for both of you alive or there is no deal. If she dies of the fever we lose everything. So, in you go."

Fighting against the guards forcing him through the door, Trip yelled, "What am I supposed to do?"

Red smiled as the door slammed shut. "Be charming, Mr. Tucker."

Trip stayed as far from the woman as possible. For a few moments she ignored his presence, but then slowly lifted her head and sniffed the air. As her hair fell back from her sweat soaked face, Trip got his first look at the beautiful woman.

"Oh my God! Professor T'Pol?"


	2. Chapter 2

Trying not to panic, Trip eased across the room. T'Pol did not rise immediately; she remained crouched in the corner. He kept his distance, as much as was possible in the small space. He was desperately trying to remember the details of a long ago conversation. Suddenly, Trip realized that his talks with Kov about pon farr had now taken on a life or death significance.

* * *

Almost five years ago, Trip hired a young Vulcan engineering student to work for Tucker Industries. Kov was a pleasant young man and easily enticed away from the Vulcan Science Academy. Trip wanted to learn more about Vulcan and its people for a long term project he had in the back of his mind. He never expected to find such a close friend in this young man.

Kov was eager and slightly more emotional than any Vulcan Trip had ever met. He reveled in living on Earth and learning about its _fascinating_ people. Over the course of several years, the easy friendship between the two men led to some rather intimate questions about each other's cultures. Particularly, the mating habits of each species. The knowledge Kov possessed of Earth mating habits consisted of rumors, innuendo, and complete misinformation.

Trip spent quite a bit of time chuckling while straightening out many misconceptions about the things Human males did and did not do.

Likewise, Kov spoke very openly about Vulcan sexual practices. Trip got some very eye-opening intel on pon farr and the seven year mating cycle of Vulcans. It seemed that once Trip got Kov talking about the blood fever, descriptive details were not a problem.

The two met regularly in the gym and worked out together. Kov had been a bit chubby at first but with Trip's help and a good weight regime, he had attained a more muscular physique. One day while working out together in the health club that was a part of the Tucker Industries complex, Kov became particularly talkative. He wanted to know about Trip's experiences with woman.

"The first time you mate with each new female, must you battle them for dominance?"

Lowering the free weight in his hand, Trip rubbed sweat from his face with a towel, giving himself time to think about the question.

"I'm not exactly sure I understand what you're asking, Kov."

"Vucan females can become overly aggressive and quite violent if not handled properly," Kov explained. "A man in the throes of pon farr triggers the female's blood fever. Even though the male's emotional control is lost, instinct will guide him to dominate his female. Once she accepts a man as her mate, a power struggle will ensue. For Vulcan men, keeping the upper hand during mating is critical to not being seriously injured by your female."

Trip frowned, "Kov, are you telling me that every time Vulcan's have sex, it's a fight to the death?"

His Vulcan friend responded with a slight twist to his lip that Trip had come to recognize as amusement.

"Not at all Trip, I was speaking of the pon farr. I am given to understand that bonded couples settle into a form of regular affection that while rigorous and very agreeable, never reaches the dangerous intensity of the blood fever. Once the initial mating is accomplished, the female has created a connection to her mate and will have no other."

Trip chuckled, "You Vulcans never do anything half-way do you? Earth women usually respond more to finesse than aggression." Suddenly the memory of a set of twins in Vegas rose to mind, as did a deep red blush, "But you know, there are no hard and fast rules…"

* * *

Trip took a deep breath. He mentally shuffled through everything that his buddy Kov had told him about pon farr . He had a feeling that this was going to be life saving information to him.

T'Pol stood, leaning against the wall behind her. She was flexing her fingers in a way that made Trip extremely nervous. Her long damp hair partially covered her face but he could see the points of both delicate ears peeking out. T'Pol was clothed only in her sweat soaked underwear. Trip noticed her clothes in a heap on the floor. Apparently the fever had driven her to strip off the outer layers of her garments.

Not sure if she could even hear him, Trip began to speak quickly, keeping as much distance between them as possible. "Professor T'Pol, do you remember me? My name is Charles Tucker, but my friends call me Trip. We met at the embassy party last year. You were on Earth to give a presentation on your theories for greater stabilization of Warp fields. You told me nicknames were illogical…we danced..." Trip let the words trail off.

Tipping her head to the side, T'Pol gave it a slight shake as if trying to register what he was saying. She began moving silently toward him, with the grace of a cat. Trip tried to maintain his distance but unfortunately he was watching her so closely that he backed himself into a corner.

Adopting a fighting stance, Trip watched her ease closer. He felt as if things were moving in slow motion, until suddenly she struck. Like lightening she knocked his hands away and placed her palms on either side of his face. Trip grabbed both her arms, trying to force her hands away. T'Pol ignored his struggles and worked her fingers into the desired position. He could feel the tips of her fingers pressing into his temple.

_Well Trip old boy, it's been a good run_. He was sure the next thing he would hear was the snapping of his neck.

Instead, Trip's mind exploded with fear, anger, longing, and the most intense sexual desire he had ever felt.

Their eyes met and Trip witnessed focus briefly return to T'Pol's face. "Tucker?"

"Yes," was all Trip managed before T'Pol plastered her body to his and rained fevered kisses on his mouth and neck.

Trip was informed enough to know that he had survived step one, she had accepted him as a worthy mate.

* * *

The investigation into the disappearance of Tucker and deaths of Gomez and Hutchins was going nowhere. Malcolm knew that time was the enemy and the longer Tucker was missing with no clues, the less the chances were that he would ever be found. A day had passed and the likelihood was that Tucker was hell and gone from Risa.

Malcolm was checking his comm to see if the forensic exams on his men had yielded any clues, when a message popped up. _Reedy, meet me at café Risan Sun in ten, an old friend_. With a smirk, Malcolm grabbed his gear and headed for the transporter. Things were looking up. Only one person in the universe called him Reedy!

The team of David Bates-Smith and Malcolm Reed had been the best and most effective agents Section 31 had ever recruited. They worked together for several years, having saved each other's lives countless times.

Malcolm eventually came to realize that he wanted a career with Starfleet and enjoyed munitions far more than the life of a spy. David however, loved the life and remained with Section 31. Malcolm trusted David completely. If he was on Risa, then he probably had some reliable information.

As with most of the establishments on Risa, the café was clean and colorful, with cheerful wait staff. Malcolm scanned the outside tables for his friend. David was of average height with light brown hair, and his features were unremarkable. This made him the perfect agent as no one paid him much heed. However, his intelligence and charming wit made him near irresistible. Not finding him or even someone that could be David in disguise, Malcolm proceeded inside. A quick scan confirmed that his friend was sitting in a booth in the rear.

"Well, I must say, you certainly turn up at opportune moments," Malcolm said as he slid into the booth, then more warmly, "How have you been, David?"

"Life is never dull in this business, as you know, Reedy." David leaned forward. "How long has it been Malcolm?"

Reed gave his friend a half smile and pondered the question for a second. "Four years I think, not since the Klingon incident." Malcolm sobered and sighed deeply. "What do you know about Tucker's disappearance?"

"I'm not sure how all this fits together, but four days ago a Vulcan scientist went missing from one of their colony worlds. Her name is T'Pol and she has several areas of expertise…Warp theory, geology, and several other sciences. Section 31 sent me on a mission to Vulcan that eventually led to a group of mercenaries. Rumor had it that they took a job for a very powerful individual. They were in orbit of the Vulcan colony at the time of T'Pol's kidnapping. A local merchant told me that one of them had been asking questions about Professor T'Pol. While Vulcan security was following up on some other leads, their ship left orbit pretty quickly. I had a hunch they were involved so I stayed on them."

Malcolm flinched, "Let me guess, they came to Risa next. What would this Vulcan woman have to do with Tucker?"

David shrugged. "Maybe nothing, however my instincts told me they were involved with Professor T'Pol's disappearance. The thing is, they are keeping a really low profile. Their ship is an older Rigelian freighter. It's crewed by hired muscle and a few slaves. The ring leader is putting great effort into keep his identity quiet. After following the ship here to Risa, I did manage to strike up a conversation with one of the crew at a dockside bar. All I could get out of him was that his ship was here to do a quick job. Now, I have no idea what that was, but I got wind that they were getting diving gear together. Their ship left orbit within an hour of Tucker going missing. I lost them, Malcolm. They broke orbit, with Tucker I assume, while I was questioning the dive shop owner."

Malcolm slammed his fist on the table. "What was the registration number of the ship…do you have their Warp signature? They could be anywhere by now!"

Reaching across the table to calm his friend, David smiled. "Don't worry, I put the word out to my snitches to keep an ear to the ground about a Vulcan female and a Human male being kidnapped. One of my best sources sent me a message thirty minutes ago. I know exactly where to continue the search."

Malcolm gave his old friend a slight smirk, then suddenly his face fell into a frown, "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, David, but why did you contact me with this information instead of following them yourself?"

"Two reasons actually. First, the information will take us to Rigel X. Something big is about to go down and I need to move on it fast. I have an informant that tells me some very bad people are buying any information and tech they can get about the coalition worlds military capabilities. Now suddenly two preeminent Warp specialists go missing, it would be quite the coincidence if these events are not connected don't you think?"

"And the second reason," Malcolm asked with a half smile.

"Reedy, you are the only person I trust to have my back and help me recover these missing people." David laughed, "I know you my friend. Tucker was lost on your watch and if you don't personally recover him, your knickers will never untwist."

* * *

Trip could not remember ever being so aroused. He ached for this woman. The couple kissed ferociously, groping and touching ever inch of exposed skin. Emotions bombarded Trip's mind but they were not ordered thoughts. It was an animalistic passion that craved to be sated.

T'Pol, with a quick tug, had Trip's swim trunks on the floor. With great effort she stepped back from him and tore her underwear away as if the cloth burned her. Trip's mouth watered at the sight of her magnificent body. His head ached from the unaccustomed sensations burning his mind.

She had not spoken, save for saying Trip's name when he was thrown into the room with her and she had initiated the meld.

Lunging at Warp speed, she slammed them against the wall with enough impact to drive the breath from Trip's lungs.

"Can you understand me?" Trip panted out, as T'Pol licked the base of his throat with long sweeps of her tongue. Clawing at him, T'Pol rained kisses across his chest.

Trip was rock hard and his lust clouded mind was centered on a single desire, to thrust himself inside this woman as quickly and as deeply as possible. T'Pol dug the fingernails of her left hand into Trip's shoulder, then grabbed his erection with her other hand. The fevered woman hooked her leg around his and threw Trip to the floor. His head hit the deck plating hard but rather than stunning him, Trip's head cleared and he realized that if he did not take control of the situation fast, he was likely to be seriously hurt. T'Pol tugged painfully on his cock and he could tell she intended to mount him.

Before she could throw a leg over him, Trip gave T'Pol a mighty shove sending her sprawling. She recovered quickly, anger and confusion spreading across her face. Both regained their feet and T'Pol began to move in close again. Trip stepped to the side and gave her ass a hard slap that left a green tinged hand print. Turning T'Pol to face him, he shouted, "No!" in Vulcan.

Trip knew a smattering of Vulcan, but wasn't sure if she was in a state to understand. He hoped that at least his tone of voice would do the trick.

T'Pol paused for only an instant but it was all he needed. Trip grabbed her wrists and pushed her backwards until they fell together across the bunk. Without a pause, Trip used his knee to spread T'Pol's legs. Holding both her wrists above her head with one hand Trip used his other to guide his throbbing erection to her entrance. He hoped she was wet and ready but he couldn't stop to check, this was no time for finesse. It was not a matter of who was the stronger of the two; it was all about him asserting dominance.

Trip shoved his eager cock inside the writhing woman in one quick, deep thrust. Even as T'Pol let out a scream, Trip realized that she was a virgin. The resistance he had felt was unmistakable. Any brief thoughts of being gentle with her were pushed from his mind as T'Pol rubbed against him and his head filled with images of lust and the need for immediate gratification.

Driving deep and hard with long smooth strokes, Trip could sense her building frenzy. Although he was caught up in the fever as well, this time, Trip had the advantage of retaining more of his emotional control. Feeling T'Pol coming close to climax, Trip increased his pace, pounding into the beautiful woman. His mind filled with a new thought, an overwhelming need_. _

_I must conceive a child, we must procreate_, echoed in his head.

Hours passed in furious mating. As exhaustion began to overtake Trip, he realized that turning T'Pol over and bringing her to her hands and knees served two purposes. It was easier for him to maintain dominance in this position. Also, it seemed to have a calming effect on her. She seemed to fight him less. Trip wondered if maybe this was the way Vulcan males handled the blood fever.

Trip leaned across T'Pol's sweat soaked back, pushing into her again and again. It felt so hot and slick and good. He was becoming so familiar with her moans and growls that he could now determine how close she was to orgasm by the sounds she made. Entering her from behind allowed for exquisitely deep penetration. Feeling her begin to tighten around his cock, Trip thrust rapidly bringing both of them to their completion. Together they collapsed on the bed. Struggling to catch his breath, Trip heard T'Pol mutter something in Vulcan. The words were unfamiliar to his limited knowledge of her language.

Leaning over, Trip whispered in her ear. "I don't know what you said, Darlin', but it better be _best sex ever, Trip._"

Staggering to the bathroom, Trip needed to drink some water and refresh himself. T'Pol was sleeping and this had been his first chance to crawl from the bed. He had lost track of how many times they had fucked. He couldn't bring himself to call what they had done making love. Trip looked down at the blood on his penis and smeared down his legs. He sighed heavily. _At least it's all green_, he thought. This experience had given Trip a new and unique insight into Vulcan culture. The pon farr was all about fucking to make a baby. While it might seem on the surface to be a high school boy's wet dream, the reality was far from it. Trip only hoped that Kov was right and mated Vulcans did have regular satisfying intimacy, because pon farr was a bitch.

After a quick shower, Trip returned to the room and noticed that a covered tray had been pushed through a slot at the bottom of the door. He could smell the mouthwatering aroma before he even lifted the cover. Trip saved the salad and fruit for T'pol but ate several dishes that contained meat of some kind. Although he was desperate for sleep, he was thankful for the sustenance. After eating, Trip wet a cloth in warm water and returned to the bed. Pushing back T'Pol's long hair, Trip wiped perspiration from her face. For the first time since this had begun he had a chance to really look at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

Trip cleaned T'Pol up the best he could and crawled in beside her. If there was any mercy in the universe, hopefully he could grab several hours of sleep.

* * *

In his ready room, Jonathan Archer and his first officer listened intently to Commander Reed's report. Malcolm quickly convinced Captain Archer that his intel had merit. In fact, Archer had a gut feeling that these individuals were indeed behind Tucker's disappearance.

"Malcolm, your orders are to follow this lead. _Enterprise_ will proceed to Rigel X and take up a position just outside the system. Contact me when you and your associate have any information. We will be ready to move when you need us."

Malcolm quickly moved to the door. He turned back, "Thank you Captain Archer, I'll be in touch."

Archer signaled for Commander Hernandez to remain seated.

After the door slid shut behind Reed, Archer turned to his first officer. "What's your take on this?"

Erika paused to consider her reply, "Jon, I know how worried you are about Trip, but you can't second guess yourself. You have excellent instincts and Commander Reed's information is sound. You know this is the best course of action based on what we have."

Jon smiled, "You know, I wonder sometimes what kind of captain I would have been without such a supportive first officer."

Reed double-timed it to the transporter room. As he had crossed the bridge, Malcolm noticed the senior officers going about their duties with efficiency. Yet there was an undercurrent of urgency on the bridge. Tucker was well liked and admired by the crew of _Enterprise_. Reed intended to make damn sure that somebody paid the price for abducting their friend.


	3. Chapter 3

As Trip awoke he slowly became aware that every bone in his body ached and…he was being watched. T'Pol sat with her back to the bulkhead of the bunk they were sharing. She was utterly naked and astoundingly beautiful. T'Pol's eyes flicked all around the room as her hands clenched and unclenched in the rumpled sheets.

Trip slowly eased to a sitting position, adjusting the pillow behind his back, all the while keeping a wary eye on the woman in his bed. He intended to be ready if she pounced. T'Pol was making no move toward him, she simply scanned the room nervously.

"Can you understand me?" Trip asked slowly, as if to a child.

T'Pol made direct eye contact with Trip. "Of course I can. I speak Earth standard quite well, as you should be aware since we spoke at some length at the embassy party, Mr. Tucker."

A huge grin split Trip's face, "Well pardon the hell out of me ma'am, but we haven't done much talking for the last couple of days."

He sensed that T'Pol had, at best, a tenuous control. She appeared jumpy but not afraid. His grandma would have called it a _nervous fidget_. Trip could tell that even in her disheveled condition, the Vulcan woman was striving to maintain her dignity.

"Indeed, Mr. Tucker. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. I realize that you probably did not intend to make such a commitment to someone you hardly know…" T'Pol's words trailed off. Trip could tell that she was suddenly very confused.

"Why are you here and where are we? I remember being taken from the research colony by some unsavory men and drugged. After that, my memory is selective. I remember the fever beginning to overtake me."

Trip tried to help her fill in the blanks with what little he knew. "Both of us were kidnapped by these bastards. From what I gather, whoever wants us, wants both of us together. I was told that the drug they gave you induced an artificial pon farr. "

Speaking softly T'Pol searched her memory. "Other men came to me, they were…unacceptable. And then you were here, Mr. Tucker."

"That's right and you accepted me to mate with." A sudden realization caused Trip to pale slightly. He muttered under his breath, "…the female has created a connection to her mate and will have no other."

Trip realized that he could sense thoughts from T'Pol. She was wondering how he knew so much about Vulcan physiology and mating habits, things a Human should not know.

Trip spoke, answering her unasked question, "I have a very close friend that is Vulcan. He has shared certain information with me." He drew in a deep breath, "You mentioned a commitment earlier. We're married aren't we?"

T'Pol hesitated for a moment, turning her face away, "By Vulcan law, yes we are. However, Mr. Tucker, you are not bound by our laws."

The hum in the back of Trip's mind was becoming easier for him to read by the minute. He could feel her sadness at the prospect that he did not desire her as a mate. While the life-threatening portion of her fever had abated, T'Pol was still broadcasting emotions loud and clear. That included strong sexual desire. She wondered if he was still willing to accommodate her need or if he would now turn her away since it was merely uncomfortable and not life threatening.

T'Pol continued to flex her fingers, worrying the rumpled sheets beneath them. Trip reached forward to take her hand. He looked into the most beautiful face he had ever seen. A realization hit him between the eyes. He could feel an unbreakable connection. He would die for this woman and couldn't possibly live without her. _Oh shit, I'm in it up to my ass now_.

The insanity of this absurd situation overtook him. Trip's groan blossomed into full blown hysterical laughter. He dropped his head down and gave up to the ridiculousness of it all.

T'Pol looked at him as if he had suddenly lost his mind. "Are you alright, Mr. Tucker?"

"Oh yeah, I'm alright and apparently I'm in love. And for God's sake, call me Trip."

Starting to explain that nicknames were illogical, T'Pol noticed her mate's sudden frown.

Stopping in mid-sentence, T'Pol decided that maybe it would be wise to try pleasing her mate, "As you wish, Trip."

Giving her a dazzling smile, Trip pulled the beautiful Vulcan to his chest. He quickly rolled over, tucking T'pol snuggly beneath him.

"I believe I'd like to show you how to make love."

"But for several days we have…"

Trip pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Darlin', trust me, we haven't made love yet. Let me show you."

* * *

After making love to T'Pol at a slow and leisurely pace, building to a fiery climax for both, Trip felt her surprise at how enjoyable it was.

T'Pol laid her head on Trip's chest and he began to run his fingers through her hair. "I did not realize how agreeable sexual relations would be without the blood fever burning my body."

"Now _that_ is how a couple makes love," Trip said softly, continuing to caress her hair. "Say, are you hungry? They left some fruit a while back."

"I am indeed hungry however, I must shower first."

When T'Pol eased from the bed, Trip could see that she was sore and slightly battered. Something sprang to his mind. He received an impression that he should assist in cleaning his mate.

After adjusting the water temperature, Trip guided T'Pol into the shower and began to soap her pliant body. He could feel the muscles under her smooth skin relax. By the time his mate was clean, Trip understood that this was a ritual cleansing to signify the end of pon farr.

* * *

Malcolm and David settled in to trade information as their small craft raced silently toward their destination.

"So David, how did you get involved in all this?"

"You know the drill, Malcolm. The section got a tip that something was going down on Vulcan. A Vulcan citizen was trying to hire some muscle. Harris sent me to check things out. By the time I got a lock on the mercenaries he hired, they had headed to the research colony."

"Who was this Vulcan?"

"His name is V'Las. He's a rather highly placed council member from what I gather, but his political views lean less toward pacifism than your average Vulcan. There is a small faction that voted against allowing Tucker's project on Vulcan…V'Las is the leader of that group."

Malcolm rubbed his cheek as he thought about this information. "Well, that could be his motive for wanting Tucker gone but what about the woman?"

"I'm not sure what he's up to. As I said, I decided to follow the goons when they left Vulcan.

They headed straight for the colony and grabbed T'Pol. Harris sent a dossier on her and one on Tucker. Why don't you pull it up and see if we can make some connections."

Malcolm swung his seat toward the computer terminal. After pulling up the files, he began to scan the information.

"I'm familiar with Tucker's history. Let's see what we can find out about T'Pol." Malcolm scowled at the screen as he began to relay pertinent information to his partner. "Her father died when she was young…brilliant scientist…it appears that she almost took a post at the Vulcan embassy on Earth, but changed her mind at the last minute."

"That's odd," David remarked. "Vulcan's aren't usually big on changing their minds."

"Oh, it gets better. Last year she called off her betrothal. T'Pol had been on Earth doing the lecture circuit on some Warp field stabilization protocols she developed. Within a month of her return to Vulcan she called off her wedding plans."

David swiveled his seat to face his friend. "Malcolm, do you suppose that Tucker and T'Pol met and became involved while she was on Earth?"

Malcolm smirked at his companion. "Tucker's exploits with the ladies are always front page news on the scandal feeds. If he had become involved with a Vulcan it would have been all over the media." Malcolm was continuing to scan the file, "Wait a minute, I just found T'Pol's next duty assignment. Last year she submitted a proposal to the Vulcan Science Directorate, which was accepted. T'Pol was going to be one of the lead scientists working on Tucker's joint Earth/Vulcan research project."

* * *

Returning to the main room with a towel around his hips, Trip saw that more food and some clean clothes had been placed just inside the door. He wanted to talk to these bastards, but at the moment he was too tired and hungry to worry about it. Dressing in the plain grey coveralls and boots, Trip stepped back into the bathroom and handed T'Pol the fresh clothes.

He noticed T'pol sniff the air and grinned at her. "Yes, they brought us more food. Hurry up and dress before it gets cold."

Trip set the food out on the table. He noticed that much of the food was suitable for the Vulcan palate.

Coming quickly to the table, T'Pol scanned the choices and reached for a bowl of soup. Taking a tentative sip with her spoon, Trip could sense almost a euphoria radiating off her.

"Good huh?" Trip asked with a grin.

"This is a surprisingly well made plomeek broth," T'Pol replied while trying to maintain Vulcan decorum and not wolf the food down.

Trip decided not to tease her since she hadn't eaten in days. He handed her a fork and small plate of sliced fruit. "I guess these guys are serious about delivering us in good shape. This is a pretty good spread considering that we're prisoners."

They ate in silence, polishing off all of the meal between them. Trip knew that they had a lot to talk about but at the moment, T'Pol could hardly keep her eyes open.

T'Pol was asleep the instant that Trip tucked her up in the bunk. He pulled a chair near the bed and sat, sensing that she was in a peaceful but exhausted sleep. Leaning forward, Trip propped his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his clasped hands. He needed to think about all this.

_What the hell am I going to do now? Is this something that I can live with? I never expected to have a wife forced on me by some crazy psychic bond. _

_She is so beautiful and intelligent. I knew when I met T'Pol at that party that she was something really special. The hours we spent talking seemed to fly by. I couldn't stop thinking about her for weeks after we met._

_How can I accept a woman that was forced on me, by kidnappers no less? It's like my free will in this matter was taken from me. The women in my life have always been of my choosing._

_Yeah, how's that been working? I've known a lot of women but I can safely say, never one as spectacular as T'Pol. Anyway, who's to say that if we had met, say through work, we wouldn't have fallen in love over time? Just because this was accelerated doesn't make it wrong._

_Circumstances aside, the one thing I'm sure of is what my heart is telling me. However it came to pass, I want to be with this woman for the rest of my life._

Trip chuckled. _What was it Jon said? He hoped that when I fell in love it would knock me on my ass. Well he sure as hell got that right._

Too tired for anymore soul searching just now, Trip crawled back into bed beside T'Pol. She immediately turned and burrowed into his side. He wrapped his arms around her. There was no denying how right this was.

* * *

Placing the last bite of pie in her mouth, Erika savored the creamy, chocolate confection.

"Why don't you ever make that face when we make love?" Jon chuckled.

"Well Jon, there's amazing sex, and then there's chocolate. I think I'll take Chef with me when I leave."

"What am I going to do without you at my side? I know we've had this talk a million times, but it's still depressing to know that when we return from this mission you'll be leaving for _Columbia_. If I didn't know what a damn good captain you will make, I'd ask you to stay."

Reaching for Jon's hand, Erika rubbed her thumb over the back of it. "I have dreamed of having my own ship for so long but leaving you is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm confident that we can make it work. The times we are able to come together will be that much more special."

"I believe that too. Almost since history began, people have been separated by military service and extended tours of duty. And you are definitely a woman worth waiting for." Jon fiddled with the zipper of his uniform pocket. "Erika, I wasn't going to do this until we got Trip back and returned to Earth, but the minute they put the captain's pips on your shoulder…will you marry me?"

He extended a velvet box toward Erika. It contained an exquisite diamond ring.

"Are you sure about this Jon, we will be separated for long periods of time."

"Didn't someone just tell me that we can make this work? Besides, I love you. I don't want anyone else, so you're pretty much stuck with me. That is, if you want to be."

Leaning forward, Erika kissed Jon softly on the lips. "You know, I believe I do want to be."

A huge grin split Jon's face, "That makes me very happy. Oh and by the way, you're taking Chef over my dead body."


	4. Chapter 4

T'Pol sat on the bunk in her preferred meditative position, eyes closed. She was not actually in meditaion at this time, but she had much to contemplate. Throwing herself into work had been her immediate plan upon returning from her stint at the research colony. Vulcans strove for order in their lives but T'Pol's life had been nothing but turmoil for the past year, culminating with recent events. There were many things to tell her new mate, but apparently they had time.

Peeking at Trip as he moved about the room T'Pol decided that she was not displeased at all with the mate fate had provided her.

Trip paced back and forth in front of her, as much as the cramped space would allow. Frustration radiated from him. Since the pon farr ended and T'Pol had returned to good health, they had been well fed and supplied with clean clothes, but no one would tell him what was going on. If he didn't get some answers soon, Trip was afraid he would blow a gasket.

"Would you like me to instruct you in the art of meditation?" T'pol asked. She opened her eyes and unfurled, scooting back and placing one of the pillows behind her to cushion the back wall of the bunk.

Trip spared her a quick smile, "It may come to that if…"

Suddenly their cell door opened and the alien they referred to as Big Red entered. He had his hand resting loosely on the pistol at his side.

Trip wheeled around to face him, placing himself between T'Pol and the weapon.

"Well it's about time you showed your face again. I want to know what the hell is going on. Where are you taking us?"

Red gave Trip that smile that sent chills down his spine. "Mr. Tucker, you are laboring under a misapprehension. I don't have to tell you anything."

Bristling, Trip flexed his balled fists. He growled out softly, "I want to know who ordered you to kidnap us?"

"All you need to know right now is that we have to wait on a certain party to arrive before the exchange will be made. You and the professor will eventually be transferred to another location for several days until that person arrives. Then we deliver you and get our payment."

"Deliver us to who?" Trip demanded.

Red turned to leave, and then seemed to decide something. He turned back to Trip and his shoulders appeared to slump a bit. "I will tell you one thing. These are extremely dangerous people to cross. If you care about your woman, you will obey your captors. If you do not do as they wish, they could easily deliver you one of her fingers every day. After you disobey ten times, they could get really nasty."

As Red left them, Trip turned to look into T'Pol's soft brown eyes. His heart clenched in fear for his mate.

* * *

Malcolm and David sat in the seedy bar. Memories of many such bars assailed Malcolm's thoughts as they waited for David's contact. His service with Section 31 and partnership with David had been heady times. On several levels, Malcolm missed the excitement and heart-pounding danger. Well aware of his reputation on _Enterprise_ as cold and sometimes emotionless, he wondered what his fellow crewmates would think if they knew even a portion of his exploits.

Watching his friend stare at the glass of cheap liquor he idly twirled between his hands. David smiled. "Let me guess, thinking of old times are we?"

Malcolm raised the glass to his lips, and threw back the contents. The alcohol burned his throat. The corner of his lip curled in a half smile. "We did have adventures didn't we?"

"That we did." David sipped his own drink. "I've missed you Malcolm. It just isn't the same without you watching my back. So, are you happy with Starfleet or can I tempt you to come back?"

"Weapons design and security is very fulfilling to me. The crew of _Enterprise _have become rather like family as well. It's difficult to explain, but protecting this crew shows me that I'm making a difference."

David sat forward in his chair and spoke softly. "Are you saying that you don't think we made any kind of difference all those years together with the section?"

"Of course I'm not saying that, but knowing the names and faces of the people you protect makes it personal."

"I understand that, Malcolm, but we have stopped assassinations and prevented governments from toppling. That's what I call making a diff…" David stopped speaking as he noticed his contact enter the bar.

Malcolm followed his gaze. A beady-eyed little alien made straight for their table. He had a sallow complexion, greasy hair, and a fake smile that gave Malcolm the creeps.

"Wensil, what can we get you to drink?" David asked the newcomer as he slid into a seat at their table.

Malcolm was fully briefed on Wensil and his occupation. On Earth he would be called a pimp. His stable of women and men brought a handsome income but, Wensil made a great deal more money by brokering information gathered by his whores from loose tongued clients.

"I'll have an Andorian ale while I describe to you the many delights of my beautiful women and lovely boys. I can accommodate any desires you may have no matter how exotic." Wensil spoke loud enough that people at the nearby tables were sure to hear.

Malcolm and David glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. David leaned in conspiratorially, "No one is paying us any attention, Wensil, what information do you have for us?"

Dropping the charade and the unconvincing grin, the greedy little alien leaned in. "One of those names you gave me finally came to the ears of my best girl. Draya has a regular that took a comm message when he thought that she was asleep. She definitely heard the name Tucker and something about a meeting to transfer two prisoners."

"What do you know about this 'customer' of hers?" Malcolm asked.

Wensil replied with a shrug, "Draya says he brags a great deal when he's drunk. But she thinks he is just a middle man between a group of mercenaries and some powerful people that she senses he is very afraid of."

Sliding a generous number of credits across the table, Malcolm said, "We would like to buy some time with Draya."

This time a genuine smile spread across Wensil's feral face as he mentally totaled the credits. "A wise choice gentlemen, Draya never fails to delight."

* * *

Selvin paced the room, stopping at the far end to splash some liquor into the glass that always seemed to be in his hand.

_Where is she?_ He thought. _I wish I could afford Draya to visit more than once a week._ As he sipped the drink, Selvin smiled. He was about to collect the biggest payday of his life. _I'm going to book her for an entire week and get us a room at one of the best hotels. We'll buy the best clothes and gamble at the finest casino. I'll finally be treated with the respect I deserve." _

The door chime sounded, and with visions of the high life still swirling in his head, Selvin hurried to answer it.

The door slid back to reveal the beautiful woman that Selvin had just been lusting after. She was very expensive, much more then he usually spent on a woman. But he was obsessed with her. Draya's dark skin and silvery hair always made his pulse quicken.

"I see you're wearing the dress I bought you. You look so hot in red."

Selvin pulled her into the room and into a deep groping kiss. She pulled away and giggled. To him, Draya's laugh sounded like tickling bells. He wanted to savor his time with this exotic beauty. Indicating the glass still clutched in his hand, Selvin said, "Let me get you a drink."

Draya took the glass from his hand. With a seductive smile, she turned to the bottle on his dresser. "Allow me."

* * *

Lifting his hand, Draya watched it fall limply to the bed when she released it. Just to be sure, she poked him in the side with her well manicured fingernail…no reaction. Selvin was out cold, just as they had promised. Whatever they had given her to slip in his drink worked very quickly.

Draya stepped to the door and opened it, motioning for the men in the hallway to enter. Malcolm and David slipped inside.

David stepped over to the unconscious man and began to scan him. Malcolm smiled at the pretty prostitute.

"You have done well, Draya. When we finish with him, he will remember nothing of our visit. His last memory will be of having an excellent time with you and then falling asleep."

"Good, he has been a very generous client and I would hate to lose him."

Tossing her silvery hair and smiling at Malcolm, she walked over to the bedside table and took a considerable number of credits from the pile there. Malcolm raised his eyebrow.

Draya noticed his questioning look. "What? He would think it odd that he had not paid me."

Chuckling, Malcolm said, "Speaking of which, here you go, the amount you were promised plus a little bonus."

Her eyes lit up at the sight of all the money held out to her. She sidled over to Malcolm, placing an arm around his waist and taking her considerable fee with the other hand. Draya ran the tip of her nose over Malcolm's cheek bone and quickly flicked her tongue across his ear.

"You know, this much money will pay for anything you could possibly want."

Malcolm smirked, "Sorry love, I have work to do now. Maybe I'll look you up next time I'm here. He propelled her toward the door and just before it closed behind her, gave her rear a smack.

* * *

Sitting on the side of the bed, David finished his scan. Selvin was ready for the second drug they intended to use. This one should bring him around and encourage him to tell the truth.

Malcolm pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. Seconds after the soft hiss of the hypospray, Selvin's eyelids fluttered open.

"What is your name?" David asked.

"Selvin…but my friends call me Selvin."

As the man on the bed giggled, Malcolm wondered how much alcohol he had consumed before they arrived.

He leaned in and quietly asked, "What do you know about a human named Charles Tucker and a Vulcan called T'Pol?"

"I know they were kidnapped."

Malcolm and David waited but no further information was forthcoming.

David rolled his eyes, "How I long for the days when an interrogation consisted of threats and smacking them around to get answers. This one doesn't seem very bright. I guess we will need to be very specific. "

"Fine," Malcolm huffed dropping his head down in frustration. "Do you know where they are being held, and if so, tell me."

"Captain Krell has them right now. He has a camp on a small inhospitable planet. Once he lands there, he'll contact me. Krell will hold them there while I contact the buyer."

"And who is the buyer?" Malcolm asked.

Selvin shuddered. "Very scary man…don't want to cross this guy."

"What is his name and species?" David was beginning to lose patience.

"Alidar…he's Romulan."

Malcolm and David looked at each other and said in unison, "Shit!"

* * *

T'pol came out of the bathroom, crossed to the bunk, and attempted to make herself comfortable. Trip sat on the floor munching a piece of fruit left over from their most recent meal. A sudden thought caused Trip to straighten his posture.

"Crap! T'Pol, something just occurred to me. Is there a fiancé out there somewhere that I'll have to fight to the death if we manage to get out of this?"

Raising an eyebrow, T'Pol replied, "You are certainly more aware of Vulcan customs than any non-Vulcan I have ever met."

"Yeah, thanks to my friend Kov, but that doesn't answer my question. Is there going to be a pissed off Vulcan out there waiting on me?"

"There is no fiancé to worry about, however, I cannot guarantee what state my mother will be in when she finds out about you."

Trip smiled, "Well, I think I can handle your mother."

"You do not know my mother!"

Her remark caused Trip to chuckle. He had quickly become aware that his new bondmate had a very sharp sense of humor. She was a constant surprise to him.

"So, may I ask why a wonderful woman like you was not promised to some nice Vulcan man?"

Moving to the edge of the bunk, T'Pol looked into Trip's eyes. "Actually…because of you."

"Me? Okay you've lost me now." Trip frowned. "We only met the one time last year at the embassy party before this happened. How could I have affected your marriage plans?"

"After you and I spoke at the party, I was impressed by your plans. I returned to Vulcan and found that many of my colleagues spoke with enthusiasm of the project you were bringing to our planet. I was originally scheduled to take a position at the Vulcan Embassy on Earth. After careful consideration, and believing that my skills would be of benefit to this endeavor, I applied to the science directorate for a position on your team. My petition was approved."

Trip gave her a wide smile, "So you were one of the Vulcan engineers that I was on my way to meet with."

"Indeed, I was looking forward to working with you. Koss, however, did not respond well to this situation."

"Koss? I'm guessing he was your intended?"

"He was. I had spoken to him upon my return of meeting you and my desire to work with you. For some reason this information unsettled him. Koss forbade me from applying to the project."

Trip let out a low whistle, "Forbade huh!" Trip had not known this woman for very long, but he knew already that she would not respond well to that kind of authoritarian attitude.

"Do you think he might have been a little jealous?"

"Vulcans do not experience jealousy." After a moment, her eyebrows drew together as if this had never occurred to her before. "I _was_ rather enthusiastic about meeting you. Do you think that is a possibility?"

"You know, I think it might be." Trip bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling.

"It does seem strange, now that I consider the matter. He never voiced an opinion on my career choices before. After he refused to even consider my wishes, we came to a stalemate. I informed Koss that I would never involve myself in which building he chose to design, and he likewise had no say in what research projects I engaged in. Things deteriorated rapidly from there and I informed him that he should begin the search for a replacement mate."

"So, you told him to take a hike."

"I would not have phrased it quite like that, but that is essentially correct."

Trip stood up and sat beside her on the bunk. "I feel sort of bad about my part in this, but I love that you wouldn't let him push you around." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "You know, this makes a lot of sense to me now. I wondered why you didn't snap my neck when I was thrown in here with you. Am I ever glad that I made a good first impression!"

* * *

It was slow going, but with persistent questioning Malcolm and David finally got the details and coordinates they needed. They left Selvin with lovely memories of an afternoon of hot sex with Draya. They also impressed upon him that she was completely trustworthy.

They returned to David's ship armed with the information that would, hopefully, enable them to locate Trip and T'Pol.

As soon as they broke atmosphere, David locked in the coordinates provided by Selvin.

He turned his seat to face Malcolm, "Tell me what you know about Romulans."

"We encountered them several times in the last couple of years, most notably for me, in a minefield. Unfortunately, I was pinned to the hull of the ship by a spike from one of those mines. But, I was able to observe their ability to cloak their ships first hand. Your turn, David, what does Section 31 know about their activities?"

"You know that powerful individual I mentioned? The one Harris sent me to Vulcan to investigate. The Section was convinced that Romulan spies had infiltrated the High Command, and one of them was V'Las."

During his interrogation, Selvin had confirmed that V'Las had contacted him on behalf of General Alidar to hire some men to do a job. Selvin had sent Captain Krell to Vulcan where V'Las had given him the particulars on where to find T'Pol and Tucker.

"So Harris thinks he has been surgically altered to look like a Vulcan?" Malcolm asked.

"We assume so. After all, as long as they're humanoid it shouldn't be difficult. No one has seen a Romulan in person…at least that we know of. I mean really, we have no idea how far the infiltration has spread. Almost all of the coalition worlds have reported military tech and information either being stolen or purchased on the black market."

Malcolm thought about this for a second, "Say the Romulans are prepping for war, they would want to prevent Tucker from working with the Vulcans to create more powerful Warp engines at all cost…"

David picked up the same thought, "And, if they could capture Tucker and T'Pol, the top two research engineers in their field, they would be valuable assets to Romulas."

"I know Trip Tucker well, and he would never betray his people."

"Remember how scared Selvin was of this, General Alidar. If he is half as vicious as Selvin indicated, Tucker might not have a choice."

Malcolm's expression was grim, "We need to contact Captain Archer."

* * *

Malcolm and David quickly filled Captain Archer and his first officer in on all that they had discovered. Pulling up the wanted files on Krell, the captain and Malcolm both remembered him from their time on the Canamar prison transport. Krell was a career criminal with several murders and violent crimes credited to him. He had so far escaped justice for these crimes but Malcolm intended to make sure he paid the price for the deaths of Corporal Gomez and Corporal Hutchens.

Archer was happy to hear that Krell's orders were to take good care of both his prisoners and to make sure they were healthy when delivered. It was a relief to know that Trip was safe for the time being, and with the Vulcan woman, T'Pol.

Archer and Hernadez looked at each other with dread when Reed said the word 'Romulan'.

"Captain, according to the informant it will take Krell a couple of weeks to reach the planet where the exchange will be made. It's at the far end of coalition space and they are using an old freighter so as not to attract attention."

"So Malcolm, you want _Enterprise_ to take a position well back from these coordinates and sit tight for now."

"Yes Sir, we feel that making a rescue attempt will be much easier once they have disembarked Trip and Professor T'Pol onto the planet. We can't tip our hand before they land and Selvin calls this General Alidar to set a rendezvous. When they settle in to wait, we will make our move. The problem is, not knowing how quickly the Romulans will arrive. We need to have _Enterprise_ ready as back-up.

"Alright Malcolm, we'll be there. Keep us informed." Jon's shoulders slumped as soon as he broke the connection. He turned his chair to look at his first officer. "Damn Romulans, I knew when they tried to stir up all that trouble between the coalition planets that we hadn't heard the last of them."

Erika moved to stand beside Jon, "Captain, do you think they plan to attack the coalition worlds? I mean a full scale war."

"So far they've stayed in the shadows, but this kidnapping is a bold move. I can't see anything but war as being their end game. I just hope the cost of finding this out isn't the lives of Trip and T'Pol."


	5. Chapter 5

The days were boring for Trip and T'Pol. Quickly they had to come up with a routine to keep them from losing their minds. Trip's stress level was through the roof and T'pol feared the confined space and lack of any information might drive him to do something rash.

Big Red had not returned to their cell since he gave Trip the warning about their soon–to-be owner. The lackey that brought their meals refused to speak no matter how hard Trip questioned him. They began to wonder if he was mute.

They were being well fed, but T'Pol realized that Trip needed stimulation, both mental and physical. The professor in her came to the forefront. She quickly devised a routine for the two of them to follow. One of their main issues became exercise. Since space was in short supply, T'Pol began instructing Trip in an ancient technique that he playfully referred to as 'Vulcan yoga'. It was a taxing discipline and Trip had to admit, after a session of this, he felt like he'd spent a couple of hours in the gym.

Next would be his lessons in T'Pol's language. In preparation for his move to Vulcan, Trip had learned what he called 'tourist phrases', but now thanks to T'Pol, he was much more comfortable carrying on a conversation in Vulcan.

T'Pol was amazed how quickly her new mate learned anything she taught him. He was indeed as intelligent as she had first suspected.

In the afternoon, they would simply talk…about family, childhood, and all the things they had accomplished leading up to their fateful first meeting.

Trip painted a vivid picture for T'Pol of his love for his large family. He emphasized how their support and encouragement of his career helped bring about the success he now enjoyed.

Many afternoons he regaled her with stories of his many friends aboard _Enterprise_, including a few questionable escapades involving Captain Archer, gambling, and an excess of alcohol. These stories he seemed to find exceedingly humorous. She feigned disapproval but was secretly pleased to hear his laughter.

In turn, T'Pol shared with Trip many special memories of the beloved father that left her far too early. Tales of walks in the warm desert sands and life lessons taught to a young girl made Trip realize the depth of her loss. She spoke of a contentious relationship with her mother, but Trip could tell there was deep affection behind her words.

T'pol told him about the things she had seen during her time on Earth and even admitted one afternoon of her affinity for a form of Human literature called 'spy novels'. She claimed they reminded her of her time with the ministry of defense.

They made a point to never speak of engineering specifics in case they were being monitored.

After dinner was brought and consumed they would shower, the first few times individually, but they soon realized their relationship was past that. They simply showered together now.

The couple had not made love since they resolved the pon farr. They didn't want to put on a show for the guards in case they were being watched. They just cuddled up and shared the bunk.

Before bed, T'Pol would instruct Trip in the art of meditation. This was the time that Trip enjoyed the most. He had originally thought meditation would not be his thing. T'Pol convinced him that when the opportunity arose to escape, and they were sure it would, meditation would sharpen his senses and keep him alert. Trip proved as apt a pupil in this as he was at the other lessons. The days passed somewhat pleasantly considering their circumstances, and at least with some comforting structure.

* * *

They had no candle for concentration but found through experimentation, that when they held hands during the first stages of meditation, the couple could use their pulse as a focal point.

Trip was amazed the first time they were able to transfer their consciousness to another location.

Trip looked around the white space. "So we are still in our cell and all the guards see is us sitting on the floor meditating?"

"Yes, this is the place my mind goes to relax."

Releasing her hands, Trip stood and walked around, circling the space. "You create this with your mind?"

"Yes."

Trip grinned, "Can I play?"

"You may certainly try." T'Pol wondered if Trip was strong enough yet to produce an image.

Suddenly the room changed…began to morph. Just colors swirling at first.

T'Pol stood and walked to Trip. Standing behind him, she placed her cheek against his back and her arms around his waist. "Concentrate on a place, a place you know well and are comfortable in. Make it somewhere that you feel safe."

Slowly the space came into focus. T'Pol stepped away from Trip and looked around the room. There was a bed with spaceships on the coverlet, posters on the walls that appeared to be of musicians, sports figures…and a scantily clad woman 'almost' wearing a bathing suit. A desk in the corner was covered in what looked like a disassembled motor of some sort.

"I am impressed that your mind created a space with so much detail."

Trip laughed, "It wasn't hard. I know every square inch of this room." Trip turned in a circle taking in the space his mind had recreated. "This is my room. I mean it _was_ my room in my parent's house when I was about sixteen."

Scanning the room again, T'Pol's eyes came to rest on the poster of the female. She raised an eyebrow, "I imagine that you chose the wall art."

"Indeed I did!" Trip grabbed T'Pol and pulled her to the bed. Sitting down with a bounce, he used his momentum to pull his mate into straddling his lap. "And since no one can see us, I'm about to do something that I only dreamed about when I occupied this room."

He could sense her amusement, "And what is that?"

"Make love to a beautiful alien woman."

Trip flipped T'Pol around, she was now on her back with her head on his pillow, and he was crouched between her legs. He reached for the zipper of her coveralls and then stopped, seeming to be deep in thought. T'Pol inclined an eyebrow waiting to see if he realized yet.

"Wait a minute. If all this is a construct in our minds…then so are our clothes!" Trip sat back on his haunches and smiled. Concentrating for a moment, his smile widened as their garments disappeared. "I believe that I'm beginning to get the hang of this game."

T'Pol pulled him down to her for a kiss. "I do believe that you are," she purred in his ear.

Trip began to rain kisses on her lips, ears, and neck. As his head moved lower to her breasts, T'Pol suddenly had an excellent view of the wall in front of his bed. She also had an epiphany as to why a teenage boy chose that exact placement, high on the wall, for a poster.

The scantily clad woman was staring her directly in the eye, which in the current circumstances was totally unacceptable. Trip was not the only one with control over their environment.

While the provocative pose did not change, the woman was no longer kneeling in the sand. She was now on her knees in the snow, wearing arctic survival gear. She was covered head to toe in a bulky hooded parka, pants, boots and huge mittens. Just for good measure, T'Pol made sure that the hood completely obscured her face.

As Trip's kisses moved lower and lower down her stomach, she found giving him her full attention was no longer a problem.

* * *

Zee stepped in front of the full length mirror and admired her nude form. She was pleased that her body was muscular but smooth and feminine. Her long black hair fell softly around her bronze shoulders. She smiled at the thought of the many men who had underestimated her…paying the price with their lives.

Zee knew herself to be a fine officer and an accomplished assassin. She had worked her way up to the position of first officer to the Commanding General of the fleet. They were an unstoppable pair and she intended to remain in her current position.

Looking at the time, she hurriedly dressed in her black uniform and attached her gleaming body armor. Just as she pulled her hair back from her pointed ears and fastened it tightly, her com sounded. The door slid open revealing a tall centurion.

"Sub-Commander Zee, the general wishes to see you immediately!"

* * *

The room was luxurious in its furnishings. Alidar appreciated the finer things, but more than that, in his culture a man was judged by his possessions. The general made sure to be surrounded by the best of everything as his position demanded. He was a very powerful man, and made sure all were aware of this.

Being an extremely handsome man could be an asset at times, but Alidar knew that it was his intelligence and ruthlessness that advanced him quickly through the ranks. Over the years he had observer many capable officers fall from grace. As they jockeyed for position, Alidar began to see a pattern emerge.

The fatal flaw was promising the Senate results that never came to pass. Alidar learned never to give away a plan until it was successfully accomplished. His one hundred percent success rate was easily maintained if no one was aware of any failures.

Alidar was engrossed in the padds on his ornate desk. They were mostly filled with status reports, but others held information that was coded for his eyes only. He looked up when one of his personal guards stepped in the room.

"General, Sub-Commander Zee as ordered," he announced, spine ramrod straight.

The general admired the beauty and grace of his first officer as she entered. This woman commanded respect, as did he. She was a worthy choice as his second in command.

Alidar snapped the command, "You may leave us, centurion!" As always, with a sharp salute, his man quickly obeyed.

Standing at attention and giving the general a salute, Zee spoke, "you wished to see me, sir."

"I have good news, Sub-Commander. My prizes are on the way to me."

Zee smiled and walked around the desk. She stood behind Alidar and placed her arms around his neck looking over his shoulder. "Are you serious? I was sure those morons would screw this up."

"I have to admit, I wasn't convinced they could accomplish the assignment either." He held up a padd and scrolled through the information. "Selvin states that Captain Krell has Charles Tucker and T'Pol aboard his ship. He reports they are in good health and being treated well. According to his report, one of them became ill when they were first captured but is fine now."

"Do you believe him?"

Chuckling, Alidar took her hand and lifted it to his lips kissing the palm, "What I believe is that Selvin knows what will happen to him and his hired help if my orders are not followed to the letter."

"Your reputation does indeed precede you. Only a fool would cross you, my love."

"Speaking of fools, I received a communiqué from V'Las. He fears the High Command suspects he has a covert agenda and wishes to return to Romulus. He is practically useless anyway. All he had to do was keep the High Command from approving Tucker's project and we would not have needed to accelerate our timetable."

"He did at least get you the intel that Tucker was involved with T'Pol. That her intended cast her out because she was tainted by Tucker."

Alidar looked into her eyes and growled, "Are we even sure that is the truth?"

Zee shrugged, "He said Koss was telling everyone that the Human seduced her and he was honor bound to break his betrothal."

"I believe there is more to that story. I can't bring myself to believe that an intelligent Vulcan woman would damage her career for a fling with a Human, much less bond with him. Still, I predicated my plan on being able to use the threat of harm to one to control the other. If they are not mated my bargaining chip will be lost."

"It's still a win-win scenario. We will soon have them. So, they can no longer work to improve the fleets of the coalition worlds. If they are not mated, and cannot be persuaded by my inventive torture to work for the Romulan Star Empire, you can simply kill them." Zee smiled at the thought, "I will be happy to handle that task for you."

Laughing the general pulled her into his lap, "You certainly enjoy your work. But before that decision has to be made, I have another job for you. I have your orders ready… you need only prep your fighter."

Zee made a move to stand but Alidar held her tight, "Not yet! I wish to spend the next several hours discussing more personal matters."

Alidar stood, lifting Zee in his arms and carrying her to a large chaise. Setting her on her feet, he was amazed at how quickly she could shed her body armor and uniform. Then also make quick work of his.

With a deep kiss, he settled on top of her pliant body, entering her swiftly.

Zee smiled in satisfaction when she heard Alidar groan the words, "With you at my side…this coming war can only end in glorious victory."

* * *

Malcolm woke from his nap wide awake and refreshed. After being out of the spy game for all these years, he was still able to draw from his Section 31 days, having the capacity to recharge with a minimum of sleep. Malcolm stood and stretched. He took a seat next to his friend sitting in the pilot's chair, "So, did Harris have any information on this planet at the coordinates Selvin gave us?"

Turning in his seat to face Malcolm, David replied with a smile, "As a matter of fact, this place has been a thorn in his side for quite a while. Apparently it's a haven for some of the worst lowlife and criminals on the Sections list. In his report, he calls the place Hole-in-the-Wall. He says it's a reference to a place from the legends of the American west. It was a hide-out where outlaw gangs would congregate after their various illegal activities. The gangs did not interact; they simply used it as a base of operations. Gangs had their own camps and supplies. While there was no leader, the various groups followed certain rules, such as no stealing from each other."

"Honor among thieves, I guess. Since this is the same type of situation, does Harris know how many of these criminal gangsare on planet at any given time?" Malcolm asked.

"Not really, but he says from the intel he has, they are wide spread on the surface and don't bother with each other's activities. Harris calls this sector the _ass-end_ of coalition space, a perfect place for the Romulans to slip in undetected and do a little business with the kinds of people that sell our secrets and tech."

Malcolm smirked, "It sounds to me as if Harris wouldn't mind if this place ceased to exist."

David leaned in to check the instrument panel, "We will reach the coordinates in less than two hours. After we retrieve Tucker and T'Pol, what say we see if we can make that happen?"

Now wearing a full blown smile Malcolm replied, "And I know just the man that would enjoy helping us!"

* * *

The sleek fighter cut through the darkness of space. Sub-Commander Zee studied her instruments. She was not far from her destination. Her orders were to take possession of Tucker and T'Pol when she arrived at the rendezvous point.

General Alidar did not believe in the competence of these mercenaries and wanted his most capable officer in charge of the scene when his Bird-of-Prey arrived. Zee was to secure the prisoners and make sure the kidnappers had not been followed. This endeavor was risky but the prize in this case was worth a certain amount of risk.

The general was no fool and would not move in and de-cloak until he received her coded signal. Zee reveled in the trust Alidar placed in her. She had been invaluable to his plans in the past, carrying out his will and also his retribution on those that failed him.

Zee had no intention of ever disappointing her supreme commander. She intended to be at his side during the coming war, earning her share of the glory and reward that the Senate would surely shower upon them.


	6. Chapter 6

Krell sat in the pilot's seat reading his star charts. They were finally nearing their destination. Within the hour, his ship would be in range to take up a standard orbit. Then he could have his guests shuttled to the outpost.

He had to admit, he would be glad to see the back of those two. Not that they had been any trouble, at least after the woman got over her blood fever. They had not attempted to escape or caused any problems, although he had been required to purchase special food to keep them healthy. It was much better treatment than he usually afforded his _passengers_. And there was the crux of his problem, their safety.

It had prayed on Krell's mind for all these weeks that if something did happen to them, he would pay for it with his life. There were other groups of mercenaries that worked out of the outpost, and he had seen firsthand what happened to gangs that didn't follow orders or crossed the Romulan general. Krell shuddered when he remembered finding the tortured bodies hanging from trees, some of them skinned. It was a group of mercs that had failed Alidar and met a grisly end.

He cursed his own greed. When Selvin contacted him, if the promised payoff had not been so substantial, he would never have taken this particular job. That was the reason he had not seen the prisoners since Tucker pulled the Vulcan through the fever. He had dodged that bullet and didn't want to jinx his luck. Once these two were off his ship and he was paid, Krell vowed he would never work for Selvin or the Romulans again.

With a heavy sigh, he realized what was really bothering him. Over the last few years there had been one narrow escape after another. Now, Krell feared that his luck had finally run out.

* * *

Malcolm scanned the small camp. He and David had landed in a heavily wooded area and began the search for what they needed. After finding the camps of several gangs spread over a few kilometers, they settled on one that consisted of three members who appeared happily drunk.

Moving in under cover of darkness, they efficiently got the drop on two of the men sitting around the small campfire. Neither man reached for their weapon. They both seemed more interested in the bottle of alcohol each clutched to his chest than the men invading their camp. Gathering up their weapons, David kept the men covered with one of their own nasty looking rifles.

Malcolm held a pistol on the third member who was under a blanket sleeping. Nudging him with his foot Malcolm commanded, "Get up slowly and keep your hands were I can see them." The alien did as he was told. The third member of this trio was well known to Malcolm. In fact, his face elicited a deep groan from Reed.

"So, how are you, Zoumas?"

A huge grin split the slightly goofy looking alien's face. The fleshy appendages dangling from his cheeks made Malcolm slightly nauseous as they jiggled in glee. "Commander Reed, I am pleased to see you again. We had such a wonderful time getting to know each other on the prison ship taking us to Canamar, I don't remember when I have had such a lovely conversation! Remember the Burala Prime surgeon I told you about? He replaced my three toes. You should see me walk now…no limp at all. You would never know I ever had frostbite!"

Turning to David, Malcolm's body gave a shudder as he explained, "When Captain Archer and I were wrongly arrested for smuggling, Zoumas was chained in the seat next to me. He regaled me with his entire life story…barely stopping for a breath."

A quick search of their thumbprints revealed long criminal records on the three men, mostly smuggling and larceny. Petty crooks would be the most apt description of these three.

Stretching his hands toward the warmth of the fire, Malcolm asked, "Do you remember an alien with red scales that was on the prison ship with us?"

His face fell into an uncharacteristic frown as Zoumas replied, "You mean Krell don't you. He is a thoroughly nasty man, that one. I heard rumors that he slit his own nephews throat when he…"

"Zoumas!" Malcolm took a calming breath. "Where does Krell camp when he's here?"

"He isn't here, in fact we haven't seen him or his men in months. I think he got a job that took him far away from this place." The large jolly smile returned to his face, "If I never see him again it will be too soon. Nope, he definitely isn't here!"

Malcolm let out a long suffering sigh. "I'm aware that he isn't here. Now concentrate for a moment. I want to know where he makes camp when he is here," Malcolm asked with forced patience.

* * *

Trip jolted awake. Being a man obsessed with Warp engines his entire life, Trip felt the ship drop from warp even in his sleep.

T'Pol was behind him, spooned into his back. It was still very early in their sleep cycle. She could tell it was not nearly the time for the guard to deliver breakfast. "What is wrong?"

"We've dropped out of warp for the first time in weeks. I wonder if this is our destination." Trip sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

They both looked up when the door suddenly opened. The huge lout that always delivered their meals entered carrying mugs of the tea they were commonly given. He set the two steaming mugs on the table and turned to leave.

He grunted over his shoulder, "Get ready, you two will be leaving the ship in half an hour."

Trip looked back at T'Pol, "Well I'll be damned, he does talk!"

* * *

Commander Hernandez sat in the captain's chair minding the bridge. There was an undercurrent of tension. _Enterprise_ had been holding position at these co-ordinates for a week. No one was handling the wait well, or more accurately, everyone was ready for action.

Hoshi Sato was scanning for a signal to come through, as she had been for days. Suddenly her spine stiffened and she cocked her head, listening intently.

"Commander, we are being hailed," Hoshi said, swiveling to face Hernandez.

A look of relief quickly crossed Erika's face. "Is it Reed?"

"No Ma'am, it's a Captain Vanik of the Vulcan ship _Ti'Mur_."

Erika's eyebrows drew together. What she thought was, _why are there Vulcans out here in the middle of nowhere? This can't be good… they are no doubt going to royally screw up our plan_. What she said was, "On screen, Lieutenant Sato."

A very stern looking older Vulcan with grey hair appeared on the view screen.

"This is Commander Erika Hernandez, how may we be of assistance?"

"My name is Captain Vanik and I have a passenger aboard my ship that wishes to speak to your Captain Archer immediately."

"May I have the name of this passenger?"

Vanik raised his chin high in what Erika could only describe as haughty disdain.

"His name is Ambassador Soval and I would prefer that you not keep him waiting."

* * *

Jon and Erika were standing at the airlock waiting for it to cycle through and give them a green light. Erika looked up at her captain.

"What the hell is a Vulcan ship doing hunting us down way out here? Do you think this has to do with the kidnappings?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Jon replied with a smile, "I don't know, maybe they just don't like where we parked."

Before they could speculate any further, the airlock opened with a hiss. Archer extended his hand as the Ambassador stepped through the door.

"Ambassador Soval, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?"

Soval took Archer's proffered hand and shook it firmly. "Captain Archer, I have information that I believe will be of value to you."

Archer motioned down the corridor. "In that case, if you will follow my first officer, we will adjourn to the conference room."

The three seated themselves around the table. Archer was surprised that Soval had come alone. It was unusual for the Ambassador not to have an aide or two in tow.

"May I offer you something to drink, Ambassador?" Archer was trying to remember his manner, although he was burning with curiosity to know what this was about.

"No thank you, Captain. Since time is of the essence though, I would prefer to, as you Humans say, 'put my cards on the table'. My sources inform me that you are following the trail of Charles Tucker. We are led to believe that T'Pol of Vulcan is with him at this time. I would be concerned for any Vulcan citizen that had been abducted; however, my interest in this is of a more personal nature. T'Pol is a member of my clan and her safety weighs heavily on our family."

Archer took in this information. "I see. I was unaware that Professor T'Pol was related to you."

"Captain, it is of the utmost importance to her mother and I that T'Pol be recovered safely. To that end, I intend to share information with you that would not have the approval of the High Command." Soval took a deep breath. "We have discovered a traitor in the ranks of the High Command, someone that has been working against the wellbeing of the Vulcan people for quite some time now. It is he that arranged for the kidnapping of T'Pol and Tucker."

"V'Las." Archer growled.

Soval managed to contain the shock be felt at hearing that name…barely. "Captain, your operatives are far better informed that I had imagined. What you are not aware of is that V'Las is sitting in the brig of my ship, and he can provide us with the schematics of a Romulan War Bird."

* * *

The shuttle ride had been a quick affair. The craft came to a landing in a small clearing of what appeared to be forest terrain. Trip looked skyward as he stepped from the small ship. He squinted, putting a hand up to shade his eyes, as bright sunlight bathed his face. T'Pol also paused to take a deep breath of the fresh, but slightly humid air. They had both been surprised when their hands had not been bound for the journey planet side. Trip and T'Pol had agreed that they would offer no resistance during the transfer. They hoped that their complacency would lull the guards into making a mistake. It was agreed between them that this was the time for the long awaited escape attempt.

The camp appeared to consist of three prefabricated buildings. They could see supplies being moved into one building and from what Trip could see through a window as they were marched past, the second was were the crew bunked.

They were brought to a halt in front of a third building while the door was being unlocked. T'Pol and Trip both scanned the surrounding area trying to remember as many details as possible between them. The guard motioned with his pistol for them to enter, then without a word, the door was relocked behind them.

"Well, this is cozy.' Trip looked around the 14'x14' room. The furnishings consisted of a set of bunk beds and a table with two chairs.

T'Pol walked to a small walled off area in the back corner and opened the door. Inside was a toilet and sink for washing up. "There do not appear to be any bathing facilities," she remarked.

Trip shrugged, "I guess they don't expect to keep us here for very long or they simply don't care."

* * *

David and Malcolm were on their stomachs just in the edge of a wooded area. It was on an outcrop that gave them the advantage of higher ground, and a perfect view of the activity now going on in the camp.

For the past two days they had awaited the arrival of Krell's ship. After getting all the information possible from Zoumas and his cohorts, Malcolm let them go. He and David had hurled gruesome threats of reprisal if they ever crossed paths again that left the three petty criminals shaking in their boots.

Malcolm chuckled to himself; they couldn't lift off and leave the system fast enough. Secretly, Malcolm worried that he was getting soft, but he didn't want to see Zoumas get killed in the cross fire if things went bad.

David adjusted his binoculars, "Well, I count six men from the first shuttle but no sign of Tucker or T'Pol. Wait a minute, the shuttle's back."

The two men watched as the shuttle landed in the clearing for a second time. The hatch opened and four men came out and immediately moved around to a second hatch and started to unload supplies. Relief flooded Malcolm when he saw a familiar face step into the sun, followed by a second that he recognized from her file. Two more men armed with pistols exited the shuttle behind them.

"I must admit," said Malcolm looking over at his partner, "I feel better for having seen with my own eyes that they are well."

"That makes the count twelve, Malcolm," David grinned, "We've handled more than that between us many a time."

"I'm just glad to see that Krell came down with them. I have a personal score to settle with that son of a bitch. Gomez and Hutchens were good men. I swear Krell will pay for what he has done."

They silently watched as Trip and T'Pol were locked in a small out-building. One man stood guard while the rest bustled about setting up camp.

Malcolm motioned to David and both men began working their way backwards into the denser trees. Once clear they stood and walked toward their confiscated camp. It was time to make plans now that their quarry was in sight. Malcolm was sure that Captain Archer would be pleased to hear from him…time to call in backup.

* * *

Hernandez returned to the bridge leaving Jonathan Archer and Soval deep in conversation. The comm sounded and Archer stabbed a button on the wall behind him.

"Archer."

"Lieutenant Sato, Sir, Commander Reed is hailing _Enterprise_."

"Transfer him to the conference room, Hoshi."

"Aye, Sir."

Immediately Reed began to report. "Captain Archer, Bates-Smith and I found the location of Krell's camp. From our observation post we watched them shuttle in Charles Tucker and T'pol."

"Commander Reed, this is Soval. Did T'Pol appear to be unharmed?"

"Excuse me…did you say Soval?"

Archer broke into the conversation, to assure Reed that it was fine to speak in front of the Vulcan ambassador.

"Malcolm, Soval has come to help us, he has a Surak class ship, the _Ti'Mur_, to add to our firepower and he has V'Las in his brig. Turns out he _is_ Romulan, as you suspected, and with a bit of coercion, he's given us the specs to knock out their cloaking device and power generator."

There was more than a hint of surprise in Malcolm's voice, "Well, that is indeed good news Sir, and Ambassador, it appears that T'Pol is unharmed as far as we can tell."

"That is agreeable news, Commander Reed. What is your plan and how may we be of assistance?"

"There are a total of twelve men setting up camp on the surface. We assume there are no more than two or three remaining on their freighter in orbit. Bates-Smith and I will make our move in approximately ninety minutes. At that time dusk will be falling and they should be preparing their evening meal."

"Malcolm, I know that you and your partner have dealt with these situations before, but I have to ask. Do you anticipate any problems with the two of you handling a gang this size?"

"I appreciate your concerns, Captain, but with a stealth strike of this nature, a two man team will be perfect to get in quietly and take them out before an alarm can be sounded that would endanger the hostages."

"Alright Mr. Reed, we will bow to your expertise. What do you want Soval and I to do.?"

"Sir, we don't know how close the Romulans are. The last thing we need is for a squad of Romulan soldiers to show up unexpectedly. It would be most helpful if _Enterprise_ and _Ti'Mur_ could take up position and watch for their ship to move in and de-cloak."

Archer looked across the table at Soval. "We have discussed a plan, Malcolm. We believe we can keep our ships out of sight until they arrive. Both ships will have an assault team ready. When they drop their cloak, Soval's ship will target the main engines and _Enterprise_ will knock out the cloaking device. The assault teams from both ships will beam in. If we can capture this General Alidar it may be the key to stopping a war with Romulas, or at least getting enough information to avoid a surprise attack."

* * *

Trip was resting on the bottom bunk with T'Pol curled into his side, her head on his shoulder. They had assumed this position to be able to speak together quietly.

Earlier, they had scoured every inch of the walls and windows looking for a weakness. None was found, so breaking out was off the table.

"So we are agreed that we overpower the guard when he brings our food and make a beeline for those trees to the right."

T'Pol thought about this for a moment. "It is a sound plan as long as there are only the two guards as usual. I render the man with the food tray unconscious, while you disarm and disable the guard with the weapon."

"Well, we have been model prisoners so far, we can only hope they continue to underestimate us," Trip whispered with a smile.

"My main concern is that we don't know where we are and what situation we may be escaping into."

"I know T'Pol, but we can't just let them hand us over to some insane animal. We have to hope that we can find some transport or at least a communication device out there somewhere. It's a long shot, but at the moment, it's all we have."


	7. Chapter 7

Sub Commander Zee banked her ship toward the landing area. She had scanned the camp on approach and found nothing amiss. This miserable little planet had nothing to recommend it in her opinion. The three moons and a moderately small asteroid field made sensor readings unreliable at best. Although, for its intended purpose, she supposed it would be considered perfect. The riff-raff that inhabited this place could come and go with impunity.

Zee did remember having quite a good time here about a year ago. Alidar sent her in to make an example of some men that had stolen the schematics of an Andorian warship for him, and then had the audacity to try to double the agreed upon price.

She found it most agreeable to torture men that she did not require information from. In the event that they accidentally died sooner that she expected, she simply moved on to the next one. Leaving the bodies strung from trees left the correct message to all the others: Never cross General Alidar.

The sleek little fighter handled like a dream. Zee set down like a feather beside Krell's shuttle. Popping the canopy, the Sub Commander jumped to the ground.

Zee stretched and twisted to the right and then to the left, feeling her back crack. Pulling her helmet off, she said aloud, "Now, where do I fine that idiot Krell?"

* * *

Trip and T'Pol could hear the lock on the door rattle. T'Pol sat on the edge of the bunk and Trip in a chair at the small table. As always the large guard came through the door with a well-laden tray. The second guard, holding a pistol, entered behind him.

The man moved past Trip to place the tray down on the table. T'Pol rose gracefully and moved as if to inspect their meal. Suddenly she made a sweeping kick to the back of his legs and the huge lout fell to his knees. Reaching for the junction of his neck and shoulder with her fingers, T'Pol gave a sharp squeeze.

Jumping to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him, Trip swung his fist into the stomach of the armed guard, who had taken a step forward into the room seemingly in shock at the assault on his friend. He doubled over, grabbing his stomach with his free hand. Trip's second blow was directed at his forearm and caused the pistol to fly from his hand and slide across the floor.

Straightening, the guard growled at Trip and drew back his massive fist…only to fall, stunned, in a heap at Trip's feet a second later. Trip looked over and grinned at T'Pol, who was holding the recently fired pistol.

"Good shot, Darlin'." Trip looked over at the unconscious man that T'Pol had dispatched. "Please tell me that you can teach me that nerve pinch thing."

She simply raised an eyebrow and moved to his side. They cracked the door open and gave a quick look around. Several of the men were milling about the camp doing various tasks. No one appeared to have noticed the noise from their activity across the compound; in fact they were all looking away from the direction of Trip and T'Pol's makeshift prison. The sound and sight of a small ship landing in the clearing had everyone's attention.

As soon as Trip and T'Pol saw that the men were otherwise occupied, they knew this was the unexpected, but welcome diversion they needed. T'Pol moved to the table and stuffed something in the big pocket of her coveralls, then returned to Trip's side.

"Let's go!" Trip grabbed T'Pol's hand and the two ran for the nearest group of trees as fast as they could.

* * *

Two sets of binoculars were trained on the camp. The sun was getting low on the horizon and activity seemed to be winding down for the evening.

Both men moved back to cover and began giving their various weapons a final check.

"Okay, Malcolm. Same drill as always, we go in quiet and take out as many as we can without raising an alarm. You get to Tucker and T'pol, take them to safety."

"If I don't get him, you make sure that Krell doesn't escape, it's important to me, David."

"I understand. Trust me, Malcolm."

They started working their way slowly down the hill, through the underbrush, when Malcolm grabbed David's arm.

"Do you hear that?" Malcolm whispered.

"Shit, Malcolm. A ship is coming in for a landing. It's your call, do we go or abort?"

They watched the small fighter land, and what was obviously a female pilot hop out. She stretched and pulled her helmet off. Both men could clearly see she had pointed ears.

Malcolm turned to David, "She's an unknown, but if she's involved with Krell, I'm betting she's not one of the good guys." Reed's lip twisted in a snarl, "We go."

* * *

Krell came bustling out to meet the new arrival. "Sub Commander, we were not expecting you."

He was familiar with General Alidar's second in command, and frankly, she scared the hell out of him.

"The general doesn't fly into a situation until he is sure it's secure." She leaned toward Krell with a smile that could freeze water. "I'm here to make sure the situation _is_ secure."

Suddenly a commotion broke out in the camp, Krell and Zee turned as one when a man came running toward them.

"Captain…Captain, the prisoners are gone. They've run off into the woods."

Krell turned back to Zee, the panic evident in his voice, "I will send every one of my men out to search for them. They can't have gotten far."

The expression on the Sub Commander's face was twisted in rage. She grabbed Krell by his coat. Instead of screaming, as he expected, her voice was calm, which terrified him even more.

"You idiot…I will go after them. If even one of your men leaves this camp and gets in my way, I will kill you all, most unpleasantly. You just make sure they don't sneak back into camp and steal your shuttle." When she pushed him away, Krell felt his knees buckle.

Zee grabbed a few supplies and an extra weapon from her fighter and headed to Tucker and T'Pol's former holding cell. She was an excellent hunter and it wasn't long before she identified their tracks from among the many marking the ground. The tracks led from camp towards a nearby stand of trees. Zee hadn't hunted any sentient beings in a while. She decided this could be very entertaining.

* * *

Malcolm and David observed the woman have words with Krell. It was obvious she was angry and he was frightened of her. From their vantage point they couldn't tell where she went.

They watched as Krell gave his men orders. In pairs, four sets of men began walking a designated portion of the camps perimeter. Krell and his remaining three men returned to the barracks building.

"David, you take the men walking the south and east lines. I will take out the four at the north and west perimeters. That will put me close to where they have the prisoners…I will free Trip and T'Pol. Once I arm them and point them toward our camp, you and I can move on the barracks and finish this."

"What about that female pilot, Malcolm?"

"My gut says she's neck deep in all this, we take her out."

David smiled at his friend, "You can't tell me you don't miss this, Malcolm."

Smirking ever so lightly, Malcolm whispered, "Well, maybe a little."

* * *

Archer was in his ready room conferring, once again, with Soval aboard the _Ti'Mur_. Their two ships were each powered down to a minimum output. Once they moved into orbit of the outpost, the moons and debris proved to be adequate cover.

"Captain, we have observed a smuggling vessel leave orbit from the other side of the outpost and a single-pilot ship come in and land near the coordinates that you provided. That is all the activity we have charted so far."

"We saw them too, Soval. I wondered if the fighter was an advance scout."

"That occurred to me as well, Captain. Perhaps I should question V'Las…show him the vessel to see if he recognizes it."

Archer shifted in his seat, there was a question he was dying to ask, "Speaking of that, Ambassador, may I ask how you managed to convince the High Command to let you offer us your assistance, much less bring V'Las with you."

The only sign that Soval might have been ill at ease was the deep breath he took before speaking. "Captain Archer, the High Command is in some amount of disarray at the moment. V'Las held much power and was leading our people down a dangerous path. Several members of the counsel came to me with their concerns. Many of my clan members are involved in security and…I suppose you could say espionage."

"What we humans might refer to as intelligence agents, or the more colloquial, _spies_," Archer replied with a slight upturn of his lip.

Soval inclined his head, "As you say. All the information we gathered as to the identities of the kidnappers of T'pol led us repeatedly back to V'Las. My people, with my approval, took V'Las from his home, covertly, several nights ago. He was brought to the _Ti'Mur_. We were aware that you had operatives on the trail of Tucker. It took very little questioning for us to ascertain that your men were indeed on their way to the correct coordinates."

Captain Archer gave a small snort of resignation, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you were aware of our investigation."

"My people are very good at their job, Captain, and as I said we are very motivated to find T'Pol."

"So, no one knows that your clan has V'Las in custody, and I assume that Captain Vanik is in cahoots with you."

"Cahoots…an interesting and accurate term, Captain. As you have no doubt surmised, Vanik and most of his senior staff are of our clan. The rest are loyal to us."

"How much trouble will you be in when you return to Vulcan with V'Las in tow? I'm sure the Vulcan's loyal to him will not be please."

"Captain, I am relying on your discretion in this matter. When we took V'Las, we were convinced that he was guilty of treason against the Vulcan people. Now we have proof that he is instead a Romulan spy. His intent was to lead Vulcan to war against certain coalition worlds, create chaos, and leave us vulnerable to eventual invasion. Information will be leaked to the High Command of his crimes against Vulcan, along with evidence that he fled the system. It was never our intention to return him to Vulcan, his death sentence was sealed the moment he had T'Pol taken."

* * *

The two men walking the line did not appear overly concerned, in fact, their weapons were holstered. They walked side by side, one complaining about being recently stunned and the other of how much his neck and shoulder ached. Both men stiffened and fell to the ground in unison without uttering another word. David pulled the matching knives from their backs and wiped the blood off before returning the knives to their sheaths. Silently, he moved to his next targets.

Malcolm watched his quarry; the two guards would meet in the middle and then walk to opposite ends of their assigned post. The men were out of sight of each other for at least two minutes. Heading to the far end, Malcolm waited for his first target to reach the end of his walk. Striking quickly, he grabbed the man from behind, twisted his head sharply and snapped his neck, letting the body fall at his feet.

The second guard returned to the middle of his posted area at a slow walk, he waited and watched for his friend to show up. Nervously, he began drawing his weapon when a club split his skull from behind and he fell in a heap. Malcolm dropped the tree limb and moved on.

Standing, David moved away from the second set of bodies he had efficiently dispatched. It was time to catch up with Malcolm and get Tucker and T'Pol to safety.

Malcolm had his back to the wall of the building that was apparently a supply shed. He was easing toward the front to get a look at the other two guards he needed to take out. Either they had no interest in their duties, or they were taking a break because they were sitting on the ground at the base of a tree near the shuttle. The men were passing a flask back and forth. Working his way to the opposite side of the tree trunk, Malcolm pulled his knives and using his element of surprise, stepped around the tree driving his knife into one man's chest, while simultaneously drawing the other knife across, slitting the second guard's throat. Wiping his weapons on his pant leg, Malcolm sheathed them quickly.

Turning at the sound of a low whistle, Malcolm saw his partner step out of the darkness. David came to his side, answering his unasked question with a nod, "Done."

"Let's go get them," Malcolm said softly.

Moments later they were at the building that was Tucker and T'Pol's cell. Malcolm froze when he saw the door. "Bloody hell, it's not locked."

They stepped inside weapons drawn. There was no sign of the couple they sought. Malcolm bared his teeth in a growl of frustration, "Where the hell are they?"

"I think it's time we have a talk with Krell, Malcolm."

The barracks door burst open. Malcolm and David fired a single shot, each taking out one of the two men sitting by a portable heater, warming themselves. David swung around and dropped the man standing by the stove pouring coffee. Captain Krell was reaching across his desk for his weapon when, suddenly, he became aware of a pistol aimed at his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Krell."

He looked up at the man speaking and recognition spread across his red-scaled face, "Reed! You're Commander Reed from _Enterprise_."

"Long time no see, Krell. Now how about you tell me where Tucker and T'Pol are before I blow your ugly head off."

* * *

Catching his foot on a tree root, Trip hit the ground hard, rolling twice before coming to a stop on his back.

"Are you alright?" T'Pol crouched down beside him.

"Yeah," Trip grumbled, sitting up and brushing leaves off his chest. "I just can't see well enough to avoid the tripping hazards anymore. I think we're gonna need to stop for the night before one of us breaks a leg. You'd think a planet with three moons would provide more light."

T'Pol reached for his hand, pulling Trip to his feet, "I'm sure it would if we were out in the open, but this forest creates a canopy of leaves so dense, no amount of moonlight could possibly get through."

Trip and T'Pol had been on the run for several hours. They had put a good deal of distance between themselves and Krell's compound. It was only the darkness that halted their progress.

As usual, T'Pol had been correct about the exercise and meditation routines they had practiced all these weeks. They would never have been able to keep up this pace otherwise.

"Let's scout around and see if we can find a good place to bed down for the night. Nobody can track us in the dark, so they will have to stop as well. We should rest while we can."

T'Pol spoke softly to Trip as they both looked for a likely place to get some sleep.

"I agree. We did all we could to throw them off our trail. Running up stream for as long as we could, then keeping to the rocks whenever possible should buy us time. It will take very good trackers to pick up our trail."

Trip examined an area where a tree had long ago fallen into another and been covered over with leaves and debris, forming a natural lean-to. After checking to make sure it wasn't home to any of the local creatures, he decided it would give them a fair amount of protection for the night.

"I think this is as good as we're going to get for the night, T'pol. Thankfully it's dry since we don't have a blanket to sleep on."

"It will be fine, Trip. We just need to eat and then rest for several hours."

The two crawled inside their make-shift shelter and Trip watched T'Pol pull some things out of her large pocket.

"I saw you grab something off our dinner tray but forgot to ask what it was," Trip said smiling.

T'Pol handed him several pouches. "Luckily for us, they didn't have the kitchen up and running. Most of what they brought was prepackaged, I'm not sure what I have, I was trying to be quick."

Surveying the packets in the dim light, Trip listed their inventory. "Looks like three pouches of dried fruit and two grain bars."

"I also have this, although it is a little worse for wear." T'Pol pulled some mashed bread and cheese from her pocket.

This produced a chuckle from Trip. "Not to worry, I'll be happy to eat it. In fact, I've had worse. When I was a kid, I'd make me a sandwich and shove it in my pocket before I went out to play for the day. This is in good shape by comparison."

"You were certainly a strange child," T'pol deadpanned, causing Trip to laugh delightedly.

* * *

Rolling out a sleep mat, Zee settled down and took a bite of her protein bar. She was able to follow the tracks of her quarry until they entered the stream. She would have to wait for daylight to pick up the trail.

They were clever and that made her smile. She had hoped that the two would offer her at least some challenge. Yes, Zee decided, this unexpected hunt was going to afford her some much needed amusement.

* * *

Trip wished that they had been able to bring some water from the stream, but unfortunately there was no container available to them. At least they had drunk their fill while they had the chance. He was glad T'Pol had the forethought to grab them some food.

Trip settled down on his back. The dried leaves crunched a little under his weight but it turned out to be pretty comfortable. T'Pol had stepped around the corner to take care of her personal needs. He wondered to himself what their next move should be. While eating they had discussed several options, like sneaking back and trying to steal the shuttle or keep heading away and hope for other transport to present itself. It was mutually decided to wait until morning to make any decisions.

Crawling in beside Trip, T'Pol settled into his side. She gently rubbed her hand back and forth over his chest. He knew she was thinking about something but could only wait until she was ready to share. He gave her a squeeze and kissed her temple.

"You need rest, Darlin'. Try to get some sleep."

Raising up, propping on her right elbow, T'Pol leaned in and pressed her lips to Trip's. He responded to the kiss and threaded his hand into her long silky hair. Hearing the growl of his zipper as she lowered it confirmed her intensions.

"T'pol, are you sure you want to…"

"I have never known such contentment in my life as I did the first time you made love to me after my blood fever. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. And, we have had very little time unobserved during our captivity. If I let the opportunity to know that bliss once more pass me by, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

Trip smiled up at her, "I do believe that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

Quickly they shed their coveralls. T'Pol pressed Trip back down and slid on top of him, soft kisses, deepening, as she explored his body with all of hers.

Gliding his hands across her shoulders, down her back, and over her hips, Trip cupped her bottom, pulling her tightly against him. The feel of his chest hair tickling against her breasts made her gasp. She wanted more.

Her excitement increased as she took control. Feeling his hardness against her stomach, T'Pol sat up straddling his hips. Easing up, she took his erection in her hand, guiding it to her opening. The feeling of sliding slowly down his length took her breath away.

As soon as T'Pol's soft hair fell across his face and her ample breasts pressed against his chest, Trip was instantly hard. It wasn't easy, but he let T'Pol take the lead, wanting to see what she would do. Trip could barely see T'Pol in the darkness as she rose up to take him inside her. He reached for her breasts hefting their firm weight and rubbing his thumbs over her hard nipples. As she began to gently rock her hips, he fought to maintain his control.

T'Pol placed her hands on her thighs. She increased the rhythm of her hips and started lifting her body up and down riding Trip's cock. T'Pol soon realized that Trip was thrusting his hips upward in counterpoint to her movements. The warmth spreading through her entire body was becoming more urgent…requiring more and deeper contact. T'Pol leaned forward placing her hands on either side of Trip's head, arching her back at the feel of her breasts brushing his face.

Trip brought his hand up to caress her right breast licking the nipple and flicking it with his tongue. T'Pol moved faster. He switched to her left breast and sucked hard on the nipple. Trip kept pace with her, increasing his thrusts. He could feel her internal muscles pulse and knew she was very close. Trip gave her nipple a gentle bite. T'Pol's entire body stiffened as she fell into exquisite orgasm. He maintained his thrusts as she rode the sensations, her internal muscles grasping and throbbing around his erection.

When finally T'Pol collapsed against his chest, Trip quickly rolled them over to place her underneath him. He found her lips and heatedly kissed their softness. It only took him a few more hard thrusts to bring forth his own powerful orgasm. As Trip's tense muscles relaxed, he sprawled across her body, panting.

T'Pol brushed her fingers across his forehead. Pushing damp hair back out of his face, she whispered, "I would have indeed regretted missing this experience."


	8. Chapter 8

Staring down the barrel of Reed's gun, Krell had no doubt that the Commander would indeed blow his head off if provoked. In fact, he thought to himself, the way things were going, that might be the highlight of his shit-storm day. He slowly placed his hands palm down on his desktop.

"I don't intend to ask my questions twice, Krell. Tucker and T'Pol?" Malcolm growled the request while inching his weapon closer.

"They escaped. I should have known their compliance was a set-up to lull their guards. Those idiots let themselves be overpowered by the prisoners. I should kill them for their incompetence.

Krell looked up when David spoke. "Don't worry about that, we took care of it for you."

If it was possible for a bright red alien to go pale, Krell did. He realized that these two men were very dangerous and not so worried about legalities such as trials.

"Tell us about the female pilot that belongs to that black ship?" Malcolm asked, jerking his head to indicate the landing area.

"Her name is Sub-Commander Zee. She is second in command to the Romulan general, Alidar, and the most vicious woman I have ever met," he added with a shudder.

"So she's Romulan then. Where is she now?"

"She is on the trail of Tucker and T'Pol. She told us to stay here in case they doubled back."

David smiled, "More likely she thought you would be in her way."

Walking to the front of the desk, Malcolm spoke softly to Krell, "Those men you killed when you kidnapped Charles Tucker, they were my friends. Their names were Hutchins and Gomez. Better men than you will ever know." He raised his pistol and fired point blank.

* * *

V'Las paced in his holding cell aboard the _Ti'Mur_. Moving over to the bunk, he sat gingerly, holding his ribs. A soft groan escaped his lips as he reclined on the bunk.

One of the great myths about Vulcans, he had come to realize, was that they did not believe in violence. On the contrary, once they decided that violence was a logical way to get what they needed, their interrogators were extremely efficient.

Since he had been taken from his home, V'Las had suffered the indignity of being locked up and having a mind-meld forced upon him. He had a sneaking suspicion that the beating had less to do with information, and more to do with these being T'Pol's clansmen.

He was angry as well as frightened. None of this would be happening if only General Alidar had agreed when he requested extraction from Vulcan. V'Las knew his situation aboard this ship was extremely precarious.

Hearing the outer door open, he sat up on the edge of his bunk. His nemesis, Soval, stepped into the room.

V'Las sneered at the man he considered his enemy, "Have you come to further abuse me, or simply to gloat, Soval?"

"If you knew anything of the race from which your ancestors sprang, you would know that we do not gloat. However, as to the abuse, that depends on your answers to my questions."

Soval brought forth a padd that V'Las had not noticed he was carrying. He turned it toward the clear barrier separating them.

"You will make things much easier for yourself if you answer me truthfully."

The menace in Soval's tone sent a clear message to V'Las. If he didn't cooperate things would become very unpleasant. The padd came to life with the image of a spacecraft. V'Las stood and walked the short distance to view the image. He recognized the ship immediately.

"Do you know this ship?"

He hesitated for a moment trying to decide how to play this to his best advantage. V'Las knew that the _Ti'Mur_ had been heading to the coordinates he had given Soval. Apparently, they had arrived if the owner of this ship was nearby. Maybe there was still a chance he would see Romulus again.

Soval observed his hesitation. "You know that I can extract the information I desire, and I will make certain it is not a pleasant experience for you. I see no benefit for you in not being forthcoming."

His shoulders slumped slightly. V'Las was well aware that Soval would make sure the meld was unpleasant. He saw no other recourse at this point.

Speaking softly and with an air of defeat, V'Las said, "I know that ship. It is the personal craft of General Alidar's second-in-command, Sub-Commander Zee."

* * *

When she broke camp this morning, Zee took the time to send a short burst message to Alidar. He trusted her to handle the situation. That trust had been hard earned by never failing to do his bidding. She would not fail him now.

Zee picked up the trail of her quarry at first light. She was impressed at their abilities. She had to admit, it took a while to find the spot where they had exited the stream. They were clever enough to come out at a spot were the indigenous animals entered to get water. It made their tracks difficult to distinguish.

As she followed the trail through the woods, Zee began to wonder about this odd Vulcan/Human relationship. Alidar had finally received a complete report from Selvin about the mysterious illness one of the captives had. They now knew that Tucker had been tasked with assisting T'Pol through an artificially induced pon farr. Zee found herself wondering what it was about Tucker that made him more acceptable to T'Pol than the other men she had been offered.

Humans were relatively new players in the Romulan game of conquest. Initially they had been dismissed as weak and an easy target. Zee knew that the general was beginning to reconsider the Human's abilities. He didn't however share his revised opinion with the senate. Alidar was keenly manipulative and only gave the senate information that would benefit him.

There must be more to this Charles Tucker than she first suspected. He would need to be quite a man to keep up with a Vulcan woman with blood fever. For a brilliant and successful woman like T'Pol to fine him a suitable mate, he had to be a particularly excellent specimen.

Picking her way through the dense trees and underbrush, Zee finally came upon an area where the leaves were tamped down. Either some fairly large animals had bedded down here or Tucker and the Vulcan had slept here.

Rummaging in her pack, Zee pulled out a hand scanner. She ran it over the area of crushed leaves under the fallen tree limbs, then around a large boulder that appeared to be a covered over makeshift latrine area.

She sat on a fallen tree, eating a protein bar waiting for the scanner to give her the required results.

* * *

While waiting, Zee considered her life since aligning her lot with Alidar. She had been orphaned as a child and with the caste system on Romulus, it had not been an easy childhood. Her only choices had been the military or life as a concubine. It didn't take Zee long to realize that she would rather die than be passed around to men who were egotists and far less intelligent than herself.

Zee joined the military and worked hard, honing her impressive skills. She was also a keen observer as she planned her next steps. She saw young men come and go in service to the senate. Many were victims of their own hubris. Her attention was eventually drawn to two men. Both were ambitious and moving swiftly up the chain of command.

Deletham and Alidar were rivals in every sense of the word, both craving power and the things the other had.

Power was all that Zee craved, and the time had come to align herself with the man that could give it to her.

She realized that Alidar was the more intelligent of the two. He was a master manipulator of the senators. If his plans ever went awry, the senate never heard of it, or someone else was carefully implicated in the failure.

When Zee approached Alidar and offered her allegiance, he set her a task. It had turned out to be ridiculously easy. Deletham fell for her seduction, as had so many ego driven men before him.

His barely recognizable body had been found on the outskirts of the city, and just for fun, Zee had framed a female centurion that had pissed her off at weapons practice.

This cemented her status as Alidar's personal assassin.

* * *

A beep signaled the first results of the scans. Zee's smile was feral. This had been their camp for the night. Their DNA was among the leaves.

_It seems Mister Tucker, that nothing as mundane as running for your life stops you from enjoying a little sex in the woods. Maybe you are worth my attention. I need to find out what the Vulcan sees in you. After all, I've never had a Human. I may even let her watch._

Zee had a few peculiar sexual appetites that Alidar graciously let her practice on prisoners from time to time. Although, she knew he would not allow her to permanently damage Tucker.

The scanner beeped again with more information scrolling across the screen. Zee knew this would please the general. _What wonderful information you can gather from an innocuous scan!_

* * *

Captain Archer called his first officer to the ready room. Erika entered, taking a seat across from Archer.

"I just spoke to Soval. That fighter that landed in Krell's camp belongs to Alidar's first officer…

a Sub-Commander Zee. His information is that she usually precedes the general, to make sure things are secure. She will signal him when she has Trip and T'Pol in custody."

"How will that affect our plan?" Erika asked.

"Reed and Bates-Smith are highly trained operatives. Soval and I agree that we can leave them to adapt as the situation unfolds. We are going to stay on plan."

The comm beeped and Hoshi's voice announced, "Captain, I have intercepted a signal from the outpost."

"What does it say, Hoshi?"

"The message was short, Sir. _Minor delay, under control, Zee_."

"Did you share this with the _Ti'Mur_?"

He could hear the humor in Hoshi's voice, "Actually Sir, their comm officer just contacted me with the same information before I got the chance. I didn't have the heart to tell him I had already translated the transmission myself. I think it would have hurt his _suppressed_ feelings."

The captain chuckled, "Thanks, Hoshi. I appreciate your diplomacy."

Erika sat pondering something. Archer wondered what was coming, but simply waited. He picked up his mug and took a sip of his steaming coffee.

A smile spread over her lovely face and she asked, "Jon, do you find it as unnerving as I do to have the Vulcans so forthcoming with information and cooperation?"

Archer coughed and laughed simultaneously, "Are you trying to strangle me!?" They both laughed for a minute.

"Can you imagine if it was like this all the time? If the High Command trusted humanity and it was a partnership in a true sense?" Erika mused.

"It would certainly change the dynamics of our relationship. Soval did indicate to me that with the removal of V'Las from power, a more open leadership may come forward. Just the fact that they agreed to work with Trip on his project to build a better Warp engine is a good sign."

Erika looked skeptical. "Well, I admit, I could get used to this…but I'll believe it when I see it."

* * *

T'Pol sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. They had been on the move since first light and that had been hours ago. It was time for a break. Trip was scouting ahead but promised not to go far. T'Pol could go longer without water than Trip, but she hoped they would find some soon, for his sake.

As she rested, T'Pol let her mind drift to Trip. There had been no time to dwell on the future, since most of their attention so far was focused on survival and escape. She was aware that Trip cared for her, but she was not completely sure that he was willing to accept the lifetime commitment that the bond between them demanded. In her opinion, a life with her chosen mate had a definite appeal.

Trip stepped into sight and plopped down next to her. "Good news, I found a spring up ahead. I drank my fill, but this is all I could bring you." He held out a resealable pouch that had held dried fruit, before they ate it for breakfast.

Taking the pouch, T'Pol sipped the water. They decided that morning to head for high ground instead of circling back to the camp. The odds of overpowering twelve men to get at the shuttle before one of them was captured or injured seemed too high. They hoped that a better option would present itself to them.

"After we rest, I'll take you to the spring so you can fill up for the next leg." Trip rested his head against the tree and closed his eyes.

"Trip, do you think about what will happen after we get back to our lives?"

He cracked one eye open and glanced her way. This was the first time that she had mentioned anything beyond their plans for escape. He could sense that this was important to her right now.

"I imagine that you and I will be busy getting the Warp 8 project up and running. There will be an awful lot to do before the facility is even operational. Since we have become so close, it should smooth the relations between our peoples."

T'Pol was silent. He sensed that she was having trouble formulating what she actually wanted to ask. After a short pause she took a deep breath and spoke hurriedly.

"I was thinking more in terms of you seeking out a Vulcan priest to dissolve the bond that has formed between us."

Without opening his eyes, Trip reached over and took her hand, threading their fingers together. He sat like this for a bit, not speaking. T'Pol hated herself for it, but she began to fidget. Trip smiled when he was certain that he could sense what he was looking for. He was searching for confirmation of her feelings for him.

"T'Pol, when I was kidnapped and found myself pushed into your cell, I was scared shitless. I knew that the chances of you killing me were better than even. Then when we both survived and I realized that according to your people we were married, I'll admit I was pissed off. That's a lot for a man to handle in just a few days, as far as life changing events go."

Opening his eyes, Trip looked over at T'Pol, "As the months passed I realized that just as we worked side by side in captivity, we would have done the same on the Warp 8 project. I would have fallen in love with you then, just as I have now."

He leaned in and lightly kissed her lips. "I know that Vulcans don't believe in fate, but I've had a lot of time to think about this. I believe that fate meant for us to be together. I don't want to have our bond broken."

T'Pol visibly relaxed, "I'm gratified to hear you say that because, Trip, I'm pregnant."

"Oh shit!" Trip gasped.

"Indeed," T'Pol sighed.

* * *

The trail they were following was even easier for Malcolm and David. While Trip and T'Pol were making an effort to cover their tracks, the Sub-Commander was barreling through the forest without heed. Of course, she had no reason to think she was being followed, and speed was of the essence.

Malcolm halted. "Look David, they spent the night here," He pointed to the lean to and disturbed ground cover.

"The Romulan was here too," David picked up a wrapper from the ground. It still contained a portion of the food bar. He showed it to Malcolm. "I'm willing to bet that writing is Romulan."

"I agree, plus Trip wouldn't be stupid enough to leave something like that on the trail."

They started moving again, following the obvious trail. Malcolm was uneasy. It wasn't the mission, he had plenty of covert ops under his belt, but the target was a good friend. That put a lot more pressure on him.

"We'll get to them, Malcolm. There is no way that the Romulans will get them first."

Looking to his side as they double timed it through the woods, Malcolm asked, "So, you read minds now?"

David laughed, "Who knows you better than me? I don't need to be a mind reader to know how personal this is for you. Tucker was your responsibility, and it's eating you alive."

"The Romulans can't get away with this. If they get their hands on our best Warp engineers, war will be right around the corner. We simply aren't yet prepared for a full scale invasion."

"Yes, _if_ they get away with it. But, Malcolm, if we can save Tucker and T'Pol, the Romulans will have seriously over-played their hand. No one will be able to deny that Romulus has committed an act of war. The politicians that are preaching caution and all out denial will be proved wrong. All the coalition worlds will have to start ramping up their military might or face an invasion."

"You're right about that. If our plan works, and we can capture that Romulan Warbird, we will have a major tactical advantage."

"Malcolm, if war is coming, the Section could use you back in its ranks. There will be a lot of work that requires good intel and espionage agents."

Running side by side, the men both leaped a fallen tree. Still keeping pace with each other, Malcolm, once again glanced at David. "I'm sorry, but I can't make any decision about my future until my friend and his companion are safe."

* * *

Trip led them through the woods, swiftly. He wasn't exactly on auto-pilot, but his mind was now filled with the extra worry of not only protecting T'Pol, but their child as well.

He had hugged T'Pol and told her that he was very happy that they were having a baby. This was true, as far as it went, but his fear for her safety was now intensified. If it were only his life involved, Trip would never cooperate with the people that arranged their kidnapping. The stakes for him now were immeasurable, and stubborn as he was, Trip knew that he would do anything that was asked of him to protect his wife and child.

Sensing how tense Trip was, T'Pol began to question her logic in telling him about the baby at this time. She knew it increased his burden, but being so uncertain of their future, T'Pol wanted him to know he was going to be a father. She felt it would be dishonorable to do otherwise.

Trip came to a stop so suddenly that T'Pol ran into his back. He reached out a hand to steady her.

"What is it?" she asked.

He looked at her over his shoulder, "Up ahead, it appears to be an abandoned camp."

* * *

It was obvious that the area had been abandoned for quite some time. They decided to separate and look for anything that they could use.

"You keep the pistol with you, T'Pol. Be back here in ten minutes." Trip motioned to the buildings to the left. "You make a quick search of those, and I'll check these," he inclined his head to the buildings opposite.

Entering what seemed to be an old barracks, Trip didn't see any kind of communications equipment. He did find an old knife that he knew could probably be sharpened with a flat stone and some spit. He also grabbed a couple of the dusty metal mugs from a shelf and turned to go catch up with T'Pol.

T'Pol searched quickly and efficiently, finding a length of rope, two blankets and an empty canteen. Rolling the blankets and securing them with the rope, T'Pol fashioned a pack of sorts and headed to find Trip.

She could see Trip headed her way, but something was wrong. Anger and fear was radiating from him. T'Pol eased the pistol from her pack and brought it forward.

A dark haired woman in a black uniform, covered in body armor, stepped partially from behind Trip. Her weapon jammed into his side. "I'd drop that if I were you. That is, if you care anything about this man."

T'Pol quickly decided that this woman must be working with their kidnappers, or was in fact the person to whom they were being delivered. She had learned about bluffing from Trip during their hours of card playing.

"You won't shoot him, after what you have gone through to get us here safely."

The dark-haired woman laughed, "You are a very clever woman, I like that."

They were close enough now for T'Pol to see blood trickling from a small head wound on Trip's scalp line. She also observed that his hands were bound in front of him with a zip tie.

Zee saw what she was looking at, "Don't worry. I just tapped him with the butt of my pistol. I didn't want him to do anything stupid while I bound his hands. You know how it is…they're so much easier to handle when they're stunned."

T'Pol looked at the woman closely, noting the pointed ears and slanting brows. It would seem that the rumors were true.

"You are Romulan, I take it?"

She could see Trip stiffen as he turned his head to stare at the woman.

Zee grinned at her, "Very good, Vulcan. You and your mate are now the property of The Romulan Star Empire."

Her face then twisted into a sneer. "Now, I figure that about two…maybe three stun blasts directly aimed at you abdomen will take care of that baby without causing you permanent damage, so I'd advise you to drop the weapon."

A look of abject horror crossed Trip's face. "Please T'Pol, put the pistol down."


End file.
